Department for Transport

Pedestrian Areas

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will take steps to (a) prohibit pavement parking that restricts the mobility of disabled and elderly pavement users and (b) develop standards where (i) cycle and e-scooter parking and (ii) electric vehicle charging points are accessible but located off the pavement.

Trudy Harrison: The Department consulted on measures to address pavement parking and received over 15,000 responses. Ministers are carefully considering the options in the light of the consultation findings. We will publish the formal consultation response and announce next steps as soon as possible. The Department’s cycle infrastructure design guidance published in July 2020 (Local Transport Note 1/20) provides advice and best practice to local authorities on provision of cycle parking and storage. This is supplemented by the Bicycle Association and Cycle Rail Working Group (CRWG) quality and security standard for public cycle parking which was published in June 2021. Local authorities are responsible for the running of e-scooter trials, this can include limiting the number of e-scooters that are available, prohibiting them from some areas, and specifying where they should be parked or docked. We have provided guidance for local authorities which can be viewed at: www.gov.uk/government/publications/e-scooter-trials-guidance-for-local-areas-and-rental-operators/e-scooter-trials-guidance-for-local-areas-and-rental-operators. In this guidance, the Department clarifies that there needs to be sufficient parking provision in trial areas and that where a dockless operating model is being used, local authorities should ensure that e-scooters do not become obstructive to other road users and pedestrians, particularly those with disabilities. In partnership with national disability charity Motability, the Department has commissioned the British Standards Institution (BSI) to develop accessibility standards for EV chargepoints across the country. These standards will provide industry with guidance and drivers with a new clear definition of ‘fully accessible’, ‘partially accessible’ and ‘not accessible’ public EV chargepoints.

Jet Zero Council: Public Appointments

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what criteria his Department uses to select Jet Zero council members; and what the gender and regional balance is of those council members.

Robert Courts: The Jet Zero Council is jointly chaired by the Transport and Business Secretaries, who are supported by Heathrow Airport’s Emma Gilthorpe as the Jet Zero Council CEO. The Council brings together government with senior leaders in aviation, aerospace, and academia to drive the delivery of new technologies and innovative ways to cut aviation emissions. When the Council was established in July 2020, we sought to ensure that all relevant parts of the industry were represented, from airlines, airports, and aerospace manufacturers, to NGOs, academics, and start-ups. The Council membership has diverse geographical representation reflective of the aviation and aerospace industry, with members who have regional, national and international reach. The Jet Zero Council and its two Delivery Groups have a diverse membership from a range of backgrounds. Nearly 40 members are in the full Jet Zero Council and 195 members from 83 organisations are in the Sustainable Aviation Fuel Delivery Group, chaired by Jonathon Counsell of IAG. On 20 April, we launched the Zero Emission Flight Delivery Group, chaired by Rachel Gardner-Poole, and we will seek to ensure that its membership is also reflective of all parts of the industry.

Aviation: Alternative Fuels

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to help expand the use and take up of sustainable aviation fuel.

Robert Courts: Sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) is a vital tool in decarbonising aviation and helping the UK reach our net zero goals by 2050. Since 2014, the department has awarded grant funding to SAF plants through a series of advanced fuels competitions, namely the Advanced Biofuel Demonstration Competition (ABDC), the Future Fuels for Flight and Freight Competition (F4C) and more recently the Green Fuels, Green Skies (GFGS) competition through which eight companies are receiving a portion of £15m. The Net Zero Strategy, published on 19 October, announced that a further £180m will be made available to support SAF production in the UK, building on the progress made through previous advanced fuels competitions. This includes £168m for a multi-year grant funding competition to produce advanced fuels suitable for aviation and heavy goods vehicles. A further £12m is allocated for the continuation of our SAF clearing house project to accelerate new SAF to the market. The Net Zero Strategy also confirmed our ambition to see 10% SAF blended into the UK fuel mix by 2030.

Buses: Registration

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many new buses and coaches were registered last year (a) in total and (b) by system of propulsion.

Trudy Harrison: The numbers of buses and coaches1 registered for the first time in the United Kingdom by propulsion / fuel type is given in the following table. YearPetrolDieselGas2Battery ElectricOther3TOTAL2021(to end-September only)523,0531236523,394Source: DfT / DVLA 1 Based on DVLA body type for buses and coaches, which also includes minibuses. The DVLA body type does not necessarily relate to how vehicles are used.2 Includes gas, gas bi-fuel, petrol/gas and diesel/gas.3 Includes hybrid electric, plug-in hybrid electric, new fuel technologies, fuel cells and steam.

Motor Vehicles: Carbon Emissions

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what advice has his Department given to National Highways on delivering on the Transport Decarbonisation Plan's strategic priority that people should use their cars less often.

Trudy Harrison: National Highways’ Net Zero plan, published in July 2021, sets out how it will make the operation, maintenance and enhancement of our strategic roads net zero. This aligns with the Department’s Transport Decarbonisation Plan, also published in July 2021, which sets out ambitious and accelerating plans to decarbonise all road traffic and will transform roads’ impact on greenhouse gas emissions. Alongside this, one of the strategic priorities in the Transport Decarbonisation Plan is “Accelerating modal shift to public and active transport" and the document sets out how this this will be achieved.

High Speed 2 Line: Contracts

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether UK-based firms have been shortlisted for the provision of the main civils works contract for phase 2a of HS2.

Andrew Stephenson: As stated in my latest report to Parliament on 16 March 2022, the start of procurement for the HS2 Phase 2a main works civils framework is expected to commence later this year, therefore it has not reached the shortlisting stage.

Railways: Birmingham

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether UK-based firms have been shortlisted for the design and construction of the proposed automated people mover, carrying passengers from Birmingham Interchange Station to Birmingham International Airport via stops at the National Exhibition Centre and Birmingham International Rail Station.

Andrew Stephenson: The procurement for the Automated People Mover has not yet been launched. Therefore, there is no shortlist currently.

High Speed 2 Line: Contracts

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether there is a target for procuring from UK firms in respect of HS2 future contract opportunities.

Andrew Stephenson: HS2 Ltd conducts all procurement activity on a fair, open and transparent basis that does not discriminate on the basis of location, in line with UK public procurement legislation - the Utilities Contracts Regulations 2016 under which they operate.

Railways: Iron and Steel

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department has set targets for the use of UK steel in respect of Integrated Rail Plan projects throughout the duration of those projects.

Andrew Stephenson: The schemes set out in the IRP will be delivered by Network Rail and High Speed Two Ltd, who are expected to conform with Government procurement guidance to ensure a level playing field for UK steel producers.

High Speed 2 Line: Contracts

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many individual contracts have been awarded by HS2 for (a) rolling stock, (b) construction, (c) railway systems and (d) corporate services; and what proportion of those contracts were awarded to businesses based in the UK.

Andrew Stephenson: Two contracts have been awarded for (a) rolling stock (100% awarded to businesses based in the UK), (b) 360 construction related contracts have been awarded (94.4% awarded to businesses based in the UK), (c) two contracts have been awarded for railway systems so far (100% awarded to businesses based in the UK), (d) 1,970 contracts have been awarded for corporate services (98.2% awarded to businesses based in the UK).

Department for Transport: Information Officers

Deidre Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much the Department spent on communications staff in (a) 2019-20, (b) 2020-21 and (c) 2021-22.

Andrew Stephenson: The figures below cover how much the core department and its executive agencies have spent on communications staff over the last 3 financial years:19/20: £11,269k20/21: £13,336k21/22: £11,443kThe figures reflect the total payroll cost including Employers’ NI and pension contributions.

Driverless Vehicles: Cybersecurity

Chris Elmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to help deliver the National Cyber Strategy 2022 commitment to a Connected and Automated Vehicles Process for Assuring Safety and Security.

Trudy Harrison: The Centre for Connected and Autonomous Vehicles (CCAV) is leading the CAVPASS programme which is developing and putting in place all the elements required to ensure safety and cyber resilience of self-driving vehicles on GB roads. By 2025 the full scheme will be in place that will cover all vehicle types. Within CAVPASS, there is a specific workstream dealing with Cyber that has direct input from DfT’s cyber security experts and from the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC). CAVPASS commissions both R&D projects on Cyber and practical trials to test out solutions and enhance learning, for example using the Angoka cyber solutions as featured in the National Cyber Strategy document. CAVPASS is working with industry to ensure internationally agreed regulations relating to cyber are implemented appropriately, including UNECE regulation 155 (Cyber Security and Cyber Security Management Systems) and regulation 157 (Software updates and software updates management systems). CAVPASS also focuses on improving cyber skills within the motoring agencies that will ultimately have responsibility for implementing the new approval scheme, with a number of staff in the Vehicle Certification Agency already having gone through specific cyber training.

Driving Tests: Waiting Lists

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent progress he has made on tackling the backlog of practical driving test appointments.

Trudy Harrison: The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) recognises there is a high demand for learners who are wanting to take their practical driving test following the suspension of routine driver training and testing during the pandemic. The DVSA is working hard to provide as many practical driving test appointments as possible and has a number of measures in place to do this.These include:offering a national recovery allowance and annual leave buy back to examiners;asking all those qualified to conduct tests, but who do not do so as part of their current day job, to return to conducting tests;conducting out of hours testing, such as on public holidays and weekends; andasking recently retired driving examiners to return to testing. The DVSA is also launching a new national campaign to recruit an extra 161 examiners across Great Britain to help meet the increasing demand for driving tests. This is in addition to its previous campaign to recruit more than 300 additional examiners.

Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency: Correspondence

Alison McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the anticipated response time is for DVLA queries from hon. Members or their offices regarding constituents' concerns.

Trudy Harrison: The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) aims to answer 95 per cent of hon. Members correspondence within eight working days. The impact of the pandemic and industrial action taken by the Public and Commercial Services union last year has resulted in delays in processing applications and a subsequent increase in correspondence. Correspondence relating to vehicle or enforcements work are all currently being answered within the timescale. Correspondence relating to drivers or drivers’ medical concerns are outside this target. For example in February 2022, the DVLA answered over 80 per cent of hon. Members correspondence in 20 working days. The DVLA has allocated extra resource to the teams that deal with these enquiries and this is showing an improving picture. The DVLA also offers hon. Members a dedicated phone line for their use.

London Gateway Port: Minimum Wage

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to his oral statement of 30 March 2022, Official Report, column 840, who the relevant port authorities are for the purposes of enforcement of proposed minimum wage legislation at the London Gateway port.

Robert Courts: The relevant Statutory Harbour Authorities (SHAs) are DP World London Gateway and The Port of London Authority at the London Gateway port. We are proposing the enforcement is led by the SHA where the relevant berth(s) for the in-scope vessels are located, though the power to levy surcharges and to exclude ship-operators would (by default) apply to all. These proposals are however still subject to consultation. Currently London Gateway port hosts no ferry operations. On this current basis London Gateway port would not be directed to surcharge or suspend ferry services.

P&O Ferries: Redundancy

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 1 April 2022 to Question 145940, on P&O Ferries: Redundancy, whether it was while standing at the Despatch Box that he was first informed that the (a) Kent Resilience Forum or (b) Cabinet Office were being convened to manage disruption as a result of potential dismissals of employees by P&O Ferries.

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 1 April 2022 to Question 145943, on P&O Ferries: Temporary Employment, whether it was while standing at the Despatch Box that he was first informed that P&O planned to use agency staff to restart routes in the event of dismissals of employees by P&O Ferries.

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 1 April 2022 to Question 146535, on P&O Ferries: Redundancy, whether it was while standing at the Despatch Box that he first became aware of disruption with the potential to last up to ten days in the event of dismissals by P&O Ferries.

Robert Courts: The Transport Secretary was standing at the Despatch Box on Thursday 17 March when he was passed a note about employee dismissals taking place.

DP World and P&O Ferries: Contracts

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 19 April 2022 to Question 151129, on DP World and P&O Ferries: Contracts, if he will list the contracts with P&O Ferries and DP World that the Government has so far identified through its review.

Robert Courts: Our thorough review of government contracts with P&O Ferries and DP World continues, and we will not hesitate to take action where it is appropriate to do so. Naturally, due to commercial sensitives findings will be reviewed and disclosed on a case-by-case basis as appropriate.

Shipping: Containers

Jonathan Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the reasons for the recent rises in shipping container costs.

Robert Courts: My Department has been monitoring international shipping operations and engaging closely with the sector throughout the period of operational challenges and price rises. Shipping costs rose to a high level in international freight markets during 2021 as a result of unprecedented levels of demand driven by changed consumer behaviour during the pandemic, and global operational factors that impacted capacity. These issues continue in 2022. Historical trends in the shipping sector are of pricing peaks and troughs, and it is expected that pricing levels will similarly re-adjust when the current demand drivers change, and operational factors improve.

Large Goods Vehicle Drivers: Facilities

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans he has to review facilities for commercial vehicle drivers.

Trudy Harrison: We are undertaking a new National Lorry Parking Survey supported by direct industry engagement to help identify where improvements are most needed. HGV drivers will also benefit from £20 million National Highways funding, to improve roadside facilities, as part of continued Government action with industry to boost driver welfare and tackle the effects of the global driver shortage in the UK. This is in addition to the £32.5 million funding previously announced. The funding takes the total Government investment in driver facilities to £52.5 million.

M62: Road Traffic Control

Sir Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of when the lane closures on and in the vicinity of Boothferry Bridge on the M62 will be removed and all lanes open to traffic.

Trudy Harrison: Following routine investigations that identified a partial failure of a joint on the M62 Ouse Bridge eastbound carriageway, National Highways is currently undertaking further inspections and engaging with specialist providers, designers, and contractors to determine a programme for replacement or repair of the joint. National Highways’ priority is to develop the right solution for the bridge whilst minimising the impact for road users. The current lane closures are anticipated to be in place into summer 2023. Further detail and progress updates can be found on the scheme page on National Highways’ website.

Aircraft: Electric Vehicles

Beth Winter: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the potential locations for trial of electric vertical take-off and landing vehicles.

Robert Courts: The eVTOL market is a private market, and the scoping for potential locations for trials is for companies in the sector to undertake themselves. The Government will support eVTOL companies to achieve these trials.

Roads: Tolls

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions his Department has held with HM Treasury on the potential introduction of a road toll system in the UK.

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a road toll system to replace vehicle excise licensing in the UK.

Trudy Harrison: Any changes to the tax system are a matter for the Chancellor of the Exchequer to consider. The Department has not had discussions with HM Treasury regarding a system of road tolling.

Parking: Pedestrian Areas

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when his Department plans to publish its response to its consultation on pavement parking.

Trudy Harrison: We will publish the formal consultation response and announce next steps as soon as possible. The formal consultation response will be available to view on the Gov.uk website at www.gov.uk/government/consultations/managing-pavement-parking.

Electric Vehicles: Charging Points

Mr Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to ensure that people living in houses without driveways will have access to electric car charging points before 2030; and if he will make a statement.

Trudy Harrison: On 25 March the Government published the Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure Strategy, setting out our vision and commitments to make electric vehicle (EV) charging cheaper and more convenient than refuelling at a petrol station. Of the £2.5 billion of Government funding committed to the EV transition since 2020, over £1.6 billion will be used to support charging infrastructure. Government wants to ensure that lack of access to off-street parking is not a barrier for drivers realising the benefits of owning a plug-in EV. To ensure people can switch to an EV wherever they live and drive, we are pledging at least £500 million to support local chargepoint provision. As part of this, the £450 million Local EV Infrastructure fund will support local authorities to work with industry and transform the availability of charging for drivers without off-street parking. We have also launched a £10m pilot as a springboard for the development of the full fund. This pilot is open for applications until 17 June 2022. Additionally, local authorities will continue to benefit from the On-Street Residential Chargepoint Scheme, turbocharging smaller scale chargepoint projects. So far funding has been awarded for the installation of over 6,500 public chargepoints and this year, £20 million is available under the scheme to ensure more local authorities can benefit.

Buses: Procurement

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many and what proportion of orders for zero emission buses using funding from the Zero Emission Buses Regional Area scheme have been secured by UK manufacturers.

Trudy Harrison: In March 2021 the Transport Secretary launched the Zero Emission Bus Regional Areas (ZEBRA) scheme which was open to local transport authorities who were able to bid for funding to introduce zero emission buses and the infrastructure needed to support them in their areas. In October 2021, the Government announced £70.8 million of funding to be awarded under the fast track process of the ZEBRA scheme to 5 local transport authorities, supporting the introduction of 335 zero emission buses and associated infrastructure. On 26 March 2022, the Government announced £198.3 million of funding under the standard process of the ZEBRA scheme to 12 local transport authorities, supporting the introduction of 943 zero emission buses and associated infrastructure. Orders for zero emission buses will be placed by local transport authorities or bus operators. UK bus manufactures are well placed to secure orders for zero emission buses from the ZEBRA scheme. We expect first orders to be placed later this year.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Metals: Recycling

Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether he has had recent discussions with representatives of the metals recycling sector on the potential impact on their businesses of the loss of their entitlement to use red diesel.

Lee Rowley: The Government recognised that the changes to red diesel entitlements announced at Budget 2020 would be a significant change for some businesses and ran a consultation to gather information from affected users on the expected impact of these tax changes. As part of this, the Government engaged directly with a wide variety of organisations from all parts of the UK and carefully analysed all consultation responses received, including from the British Metals Recycling Association. The metals recycling sector is eligible for support through the £289 million Industrial Energy Transformation Fund (IETF) and the £34 million Scottish IETF. These programmes provide capital support to industrial sites, helping them to become more energy efficient and to switch away from fossil fuels to lower carbon alternatives. We have recently promoted this funding opportunity with the British Metals Recycling Association, welcoming applications from sites impacted by the removal of the red diesel rebate.

Aviation: Research

Beth Winter: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment his Department has made of the outcomes of funding awards provided by the Future Flight Challenge to date.

George Freeman: The Future Flight challenge has to date supported 48 ambitious R&D projects, committing £32m of funding, most of which is supporting smaller businesses. The evaluation is underway, and we are seeing promising signs such as high levels of industrial support, the creation of skilled jobs and several industry ‘firsts’ being delivered.

Horizon Europe

Patrick Grady: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent discussions has he had with his EU counterparts on progressing the ratification of the UK’s association with the EU’s Horizon Europe programme.

George Freeman: My Rt. Hon. Friend the Secretary of State and I have recently raised the ongoing delays by the EU to the UK’s association to Horizon Europe in discussions with our counterparts across Europe. In the last few months, I have spoken directly with colleagues in Germany, France, Italy, Ireland, the Netherlands, Portugal and Sweden. The UK also raised the ongoing delays at the EU-UK Specialised Committee on Participation in Union Programmes in December - the minutes from this meeting can be found on gov.uk. In order to provide reassurance, the UK Government has guaranteed funding for the first and second waves of eligible successful applicants to Horizon Europe. If the UK is unable to associate to Horizon Europe we will be ready to introduce a comprehensive alternative programme of international science, research and innovation collaborations.

Brain Cancer: Innovation and Research

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent discussions officials in his Department have had with representatives of (a) UK Research and Innovation and (b) the Medical Research Council on brain cancer research and innovation.

George Freeman: BEIS officials regularly speak to representatives of UK Research and Innovation and its constituent councils on a range of issues. There have been no recent conversations specifically on brain cancer.

National Grid

Virginia Crosbie: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the readiness of the national grid to accommodate the change in energy mix set out in the Energy Security Strategy; and what steps he is planning to take to help protect the rural landscape in the event that work is required to strengthen the national grid.

Greg Hands: The Government’s British Energy Security Strategy sets out measures to accelerate the connecting onshore network infrastructure required to support targets for electricity generation. These measures could reduce timelines for delivering network infrastructure by around three years. Communities will retain their voice in decision making and planning decisions will still be robust. The Government has consulted on amending the energy National Policy Statements to strengthen the mitigation of landscape and visual impacts from network infrastructure. This includes the need to follow ‘good design’ principles and a starting presumption to underground electricity cables in designated areas, such as Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Energy: Prices

Charlotte Nichols: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department is planning to take to help prevent further increases in household energy costs prior to winter 2022-23.

Greg Hands: Gas prices are expected to stay high in the short term, driven by increased global factors.The Government is engaging at an international level and with industry to monitor and share information on market developments that are impacting gas prices globally. Nevertheless, the Government has policies in place to protect vulnerable consumers from the impact of high energy prices and has introduced the Energy Bills Support Scheme to cushion domestic energy consumers from the worst impacts.

Energy Supply

Richard Thomson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many energy suppliers have been investigated by Ofgem under its financial responsibility principle to protect customers against mutualisation of costs in the event of failure.

Greg Hands: Individual investigations are a matter for Ofgem, the independent regulator, and that information is not shared with BEIS. On the mutualisation of costs specifically, Ofgem’s recent proposals target surplus balances to reduce the amount at risk of mutualisation. Their proposals also allow suppliers to continue to collect credit balances where these are required to help smooth customer payments evenly throughout the year.

Energy Supply

Richard Thomson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps (a) his Department and (b) Ofgem have taken to mitigate the future risk of mutualisation of the cost of customer credit balances in the event of supplier failure.

Greg Hands: On 15 December 2021, Ofgem announced an Action Plan to develop a package of measures to boost financial resilience in the energy retail market. Since then, they have taken several immediate actions to improve financial resilience. On mutualisation of the cost of customer credit balances specifically, Ofgem’s proposals target surplus balances, reducing the amount at risk of mutualisation, while allowing suppliers to continue to collect credit balances where these are required to help even out customer payments throughout the year. More detail on steps being taken is available in their 14 April 2022 Open Letter to domestic energy suppliers which can be found here: https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/publications/open-letter-domestic-energy-suppliers-financial-resilience.

Energy Supply

Richard Thomson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what estimate his Department has made of the cost to the public purse of covering credit balances as a result of supplier failures over the last twelve months for which figures are available.

Greg Hands: Ofgem determines the costs that a receiving supplier can recover, including the cost of honouring credit balances that customers had with the insolvent supplier. The costs are paid via a levy on all suppliers, which they will reflect in their pricing and which Ofgem will take account of it in calculating the price cap. The cost is not met from exchequer funds.

Energy Supply

Richard Thomson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether any of the energy suppliers who exited the market over the last twelve months had protected customer credit balances.

Greg Hands: Ofgem’s powers provide a safety net when suppliers fail, ensuring customers are seamlessly transferred to a new energy supplier. Any customers going through Supplier of Last Resort process will not go off supply and in every case will have their credit balances protected. Suppliers are not currently required by Ofgem to ring-fence customer credit balances, but Ofgem has consulted on implementing a ring-fencing obligation.

Energy Supply

Richard Thomson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what analysis (a) his Department and (b) Ofgem have made of the extent to which energy suppliers who exited the market over the last twelve months were using customer credit balances to support unsustainable tariffs.

Greg Hands: On 14 April Ofgem published an open letter outlining proposals to further tighten protections against the financial instability of suppliers, including preventing the use of customer credit balances as working capital. Ofgem plans to conduct a statutory consultation on ringfencing customer credit balances later in the spring of this year. They also plan a consultation on policy options related to capital adequacy. In the event of a supplier insolvency, customers are transferred to another supplier appointed by Ofgem and domestic customers have their credit balances protected.  Customers can ask their supplier to refund a credit balance at any time. Suppliers must do so promptly unless they have reasonable grounds not to.

Energy Supply

Richard Thomson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, on what date Ofgem first consulted on protecting credit balances as part of its supplier licencing review; and what estimate he has made of the value of credit balances subsequently mutualised as a result of supplier failures since that date.

Greg Hands: Ofgem first consulted on protecting customer credit balances in October 2019 (https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/publications/supplier-licensing-review-ongoing-requirements-and-exit-arrangements). The Department has not estimated the value of customer credit balances that have been mutualised. Ofgem approves claims for the recovery of the costs under the Supplier of Last Resort levy. On 14 April 2022 Ofgem published an open letter outlining proposals to further tighten protections against the financial instability of suppliers, including preventing the use of customer credit balances as working capital.

Energy Supply

Richard Thomson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department is taking to require energy suppliers to protect customer credit balances.

Greg Hands: On 14th April, Ofgem published an open letter outlining proposals to further tighten protections from any financial instability of suppliers, including preventing the use of customer credit balances as working capital. Ofgem plans to conduct a statutory consultation on ringfencing customer credit balances later in the spring of this year. They also plan a consultation on policy options related to capital adequacy.

Electricity: Standing Charges

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he is taking to help protect consumers from unequal variation across England in standing changes on electricity bills.

Greg Hands: Standing charges are charges that suppliers pass on to their customers, the largest element of which is the cost of the electricity and gas transmission and distribution networks, which vary depending on the different costs in a geographic area. The standing charge is passed on to consumers as a flat rate per day rather than as a percentage charge based on how much energy they use. Ofgem requires energy suppliers to separate out the standing charge from the energy unit rate so consumers can see what the different charges amount to.

Energy: Prices

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment has he made of the effectiveness of the energy price cap in incentivising households to increase electrification.

Greg Hands: The Government recognises that how certain costs are apportioned between electricity and gas can incentivise certain types of behaviour. As set out in its British Energy Security Strategy, the Government will rebalance the costs placed on energy bills away from electricity to incentivise electrification across the economy, and to accelerate consumers and industry's shift away from volatile global commodity markets over the decade. Proposals on how to do so will be published in 2022.

Energy: Prices

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment has he made of the adequacy of the energy price cap scheme for electricity-only consumers; and if he will make a comparative assessment of the level of the cap for (a) dual-fuel and (b) electricity-only consumers.

Greg Hands: The energy price cap is set by Ofgem. Ofgem calculates different price cap rates for credit meters, pre-pay meters and multi-register meters (Economy 7-type electricity metering). In order to help people with the costs of energy, the Government has announced a package of support measures, including a £200 rebate for households delivered via their energy bill this autumn. This is in addition to the range of support for low-income, fuel poor and vulnerable households.

Pregnancy and Maternity Discrimination Advisory Board

Wera Hobhouse: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 8 April 2022 to Question 145958 on Maternity Action, which organisations have been invited to attend the second meeting of the Pregnancy and Maternity Discrimination Advisory Board.

Paul Scully: The members of the Pregnancy and Maternity Discrimination Advisory Board are listed below. All members are invited to each meeting. British Chambers of Commerce;Confederation of British Industry;Federation of Small Businesses;Institute of Directors;MAKE UK;TUC;Fawcett Society;Pregnant then Screwed;Working Families;Equalities and Human Rights Commission;Government Equalities Office;Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy.

Renewable Energy

Wera Hobhouse: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 30 March 2022 to Question 144990 on Ofgem, whether his Department has taken account of the time taken to publish the Strategy and Policy Statement to Ofgem, outlined in the Energy White Paper, on potential grid investment to support renewable energy and low carbon technologies.

Greg Hands: The Strategy and Policy Statement is intended to give a strategic steer to the regulator on the Government’s priorities. This will give further weight to Ofgem’s statutory objectives including achieving Net Zero by supporting low carbon technologies. Ahead of this, Government welcomed Ofgem’s regulatory response to the Net Zero target, including publication of its Decarbonisation Action Plan, asking network companies to show how their price control business plans could adapt to support Net Zero and consideration of how to set price controls to advance decarbonisation goals.

Retail Trade: Origin Marking

Sarah Olney: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of bringing forward legislative proposals to require online retailers to state the country of origin in which the goods offered for sale were manufactured.

Paul Scully: The Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013 (CCRs) require traders to provide consumers with specified pre-purchase information including information about the main characteristics of goods, services or digital content but this does not necessarily include the country of origin. The Government have no plan to change this rule.However, consumers are free to enquire from the seller as to the origin of products, and to base their decision of whether or not to purchase on the reply. Under the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008 (CPRs), traders are banned from giving consumers false information or using misleading statements or presentation about the geographical or commercial origin of products including in response to requests for information by consumers. The Regulations carry criminal penalties and are enforced by local trading standards officers.

Fuels: Prices

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 1 April to Question 145949 on Fuels: Prices, whether his Department has carried out a full equality impact assessment of the rising fuel costs on disabled people.

Greg Hands: BEIS does not determine the price of gas or electricity as these are set by global market conditions. However, Ofgem’s price cap ensures that the price of tariffs is fair and that customers do not experience a loyalty penalty. As referred to in the previous answer, the Government is aware of the impact that high global wholesale energy prices are having on consumers and has put in place additional support worth £9.1bn on top of existing measures to support vulnerable households.

Hinkley Point B Power Station: Staff

Alan Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what estimate his Department has made of the number of permanent full-time employees at Hinkley Point (B) nuclear power station in the latest period for which figures are available.

Alan Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what estimate his Department has made of the number of permanent full-time employees at Heysham nuclear power station in the latest period for which figures are available.

Alan Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what estimate his Department has made of the number of permanent full-time employees at Hartlepool nuclear power station in the latest period for which figures are available.

Alan Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what estimate his Department has made of the number of permanent full-time employees at Sizewell nuclear power station in the latest period for which figures are available.

Alan Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what estimate his Department has made of the number of permanent full-time employees at Torness nuclear power station in the latest period for which figures are available.

Alan Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what estimate his Department has made of the number of permanent full-time employees at Hunterston B nuclear power station that (a) were employed to operate the station prior to its closure, in the latest period for which figures are available and (b) will be required for the decommissioning phase.

Alan Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what estimate his Department has made of the number of permanent full-time employees at Dungeness nuclear power station that (a) were employed to operate the station prior to its closure, in the latest period for which figures are available and (b) will be required for the decommissioning phase.

Greg Hands: BEIS has not made any estimates of employee numbers at any of the Hinkley Point B, Sizewell B, Torness, Heysham A and B, Hartlepool, Hunterson B or Dungeness nuclear power stations, which are owned and operated by EDF. However, BEIS does understand from information supplied by EDF that each of the stations currently employs around 500 staff each, supplemented by staff from supply chain partners, at specific times. BEIS has also not made any forecast estimates of the number of individuals that will be employed in the future as those stations close and enter into a phase where the nuclear fuel is removed (defueled) and then decommissioned. The Dungeness B and Hunterston B stations have already permanently ceased generation and the changes in staff numbers during the defueling phase are being considered by EDF currently. The Government is committed to ensuring the UK civil nuclear industry has the required skills to deliver on its existing decommissioning requirements together with supporting the proposed programme of additional nuclear power generation capacity.

Diesel Fuel: Russia

Alan Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 24 March 2022 to question 143735 Diesel Fuel: Russia, whether imports of DERV from Russia will be prohibited under plans to prohibit imports of Russian oil.

Greg Hands: The UK has committed to phasing out Russian oil by the end of 2022. The Government established a new joint taskforce with industry to work together in an orderly transition. In the case of diesel, UK demand is met by a combination of domestic production and imports from a diverse range of reliable suppliers beyond Russia including the Netherlands, Saudi Arabia and the USA.

Diesel Fuel: Russia

Alan Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 24 March 2022 to Question 143735 on Diesel Fuel: Russia, when Digest of UK Energy Statistics figures containing data for 2021 will be available.

Greg Hands: The Digest of UK Energy Statistics (DUKES) containing 2021 data will be published on the 28th July 2022. As of the 31st March 2022, data on Russian imports of diesel (including data for 2021) are also available in new Energy Trends table 3.14, Imports of primary oil and petroleum products by country of origin.

Companies House: Personal Records

Drew Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if his Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of including Companies House in the Data Protection Act 2018 to ensure that personal details are presented accurately.

Paul Scully: The Government is currently undertaking work with a view to introducing new powers and functions which will enable the Registrar of Companies to better support the UK business environment. This will include a new function to maintain the integrity of the Register. It is one of a number of proposals set out in the recent White Paper on Reform of Companies House, which the Government intends to bring into force through appropriate legislation in the next session of this Parliament.

Natural Gas: Safety

Drew Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if officials in his Department will hold discussions with retailers of products that require installation by a gas safe engineer on the creation of a voluntary scheme for checking purchasers' gas safe ID cards.

Drew Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what discussions officials in his Department have had with retailers on safety in relation to the sale of gas safe products.

Greg Hands: The installation and maintenance of gas appliances in domestic and commercial settings must only be undertaken by a suitably qualified and competent Gas Safe registered engineer. The Health and Safety Executive manages the delivery of the Gas Safe Register. Those on the Register are issued with a Gas Safe ID card that contains a list of the qualifications the engineer holds – this can be checked online by members of the public. There are currently no plans to restrict the purchase of appliances to registered installers or for a voluntary scheme for checking purchasers’ Gas Safe ID cards at the point of purchase. The Government meets regularly with trade associations of installers and manufacturers of gas appliances, such as the Fuel Industry Association and the Association of Manufacturers of Domestic Appliances, but does not, as a matter of course, hold regular meetings with retailers on the sale of gas appliances.

Parental Leave

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent assessment his Department has undertaken on the effectiveness of shared parental leave arrangements.

Paul Scully: The Shared Parental Leave and Pay scheme gives working families much more choice and flexibility about who cares for their child in the first year, and when. Evaluating Shared Parental Leave and Pay is an important part of the policymaking process. As part of the evaluation, in 2019, we commissioned large, representative surveys of parents and employers which asked about a range of parental leave and pay entitlements as well as their experience of Shared Parental Leave specifically. We also consulted on high-level options for reforming parental leave and pay. The purpose of the evaluation is to assess the extent to which the implementation and take-up of Shared Parental Leave achieves its original objectives. Our findings will be published in due course.

Fracking

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what meetings officials in his Department attended prior to the decision to commission the British Geological Survey to provide scientific advice on shale gas extraction; and who attended those meetings.

Greg Hands: The Government has commissioned the British Geological Survey to advise on the latest scientific evidence around shale gas extraction. The Government has always been clear that the exploration of shale gas reserves in England could only proceed if the science shows that it is safe, sustainable and of minimal disturbance to those living and working nearby. This Department holds many meetings with companies to discuss a wide range of business issues. Details of meetings held by Ministers in the Department are recorded in the Department’s transparency data, which is published at:https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/beis-ministerial-gifts-hospitality-travel-and-meetings.

Green Homes Grant Scheme

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of extending the deadline for the completion of works under the Local Authority Green Homes Grant Scheme in the context of national shortages of windows and doors.

Greg Hands: Market conditions are challenging with supply of products and materials affected across several measures. This is, in part, why extensions to the delivery period have already been granted. Where Local Authorities have planned or commissioned work in good time the extended timescales should allow sufficient time to source the necessary products. When considering any changes to the timelines of the LAD scheme, the Government must also consider the potential impact this may have on subsequent energy efficiency schemes and the supply chain. This includes the projects awarded funding through the Sustainable Warmth competition and the next phase of the Home Upgrade Grant scheme.

Energy: Subsidies

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what discussions officials in his Department have had with relevant stakeholders on subsidies for energy generation for domestic purposes.

Greg Hands: The Government continues to have significant engagement with industry including manufacturers, installers, trade associations and industry standards bodies. There have been no subsidies available for electricity generation at domestic-scale since the Feed-in Tariffs scheme closed in March 2019. However, in 2020, the Government introduced the Smart Export Guarantee, a market-led mechanism, enabling small-scale renewable generators, such as households with solar panels or small wind turbines, to receive payment for excess electricity sold back to the grid.

Electrical Goods: Safety

Mike Wood: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he is taking to prevent the sale of unsafe electrical appliances on online marketplaces.

Paul Scully: Product safety legislation places obligations on manufacturers, importers and distributors to ensure that consumer products, including electrical goods, are safe before they are placed on the UK market. This applies equally to products sold online and offline. However, Government recognises that – alongside its benefits – e-commerce has brought significant challenges. This is one of the reasons that the Government is currently reviewing the product safety framework. A Call for Evidence to inform the review ran last year, and the Government Response is available here:https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/uk-product-safety-review-call-for-evidence.A consultation, including proposals to tackle unsafe products sold online, will be published later this year. Alongside this, the Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) leads a national programme of regulatory action to tackle the risks from unsafe and non-compliant goods sold on online marketplaces. In 2021, 12,500 products were removed from supply due to OPSS interventions.

Hospitality Industry: Supply Chains

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether his Department has plans to update the Government's hospitality strategy in the context of the increase in the VAT rate, National Insurance contributions and inflation and challenges facing supply chains.

Paul Scully: The Government published its first-ever Hospitality Strategy in July 2021. The Strategy set out twenty-two commitments to support the sector across a range of policy areas, grouped into three themes: Reopening, Recovery, and Resilience. This Department launched the Hospitality Sector Council to oversee the delivery of the strategy, and I and my officials continue to work with the Council and the sector to deliver the strategy commitments. The Government engages regularly with hospitality businesses and organisations to understand the pressing issues that they face, including cost pressures and supply chain disruptions.

Energy Bills Rebate

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department plans to take ensure to that people who reside in non-family households are not penalised if they move to other properties within the period when the energy bills rebate is recharged.

Greg Hands: The Government understands there will be cases where changes in people’s circumstances mean they may not directly be the recipient of the reduction, but still see increases in future bills, or vice versa.The Energy Bills Support Scheme, as announced by my rt. hon. Friend Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer on 3 February, is currently the subject of a government consultation issued on 11 April.The implementation of the policy will be reviewed following the conclusion of the consultation.

Metals: Recycling

Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the exclusion of the metal recycling sector from the Red Diesel Replacement competition on that industry’s capacity to decarbonise.

Greg Hands: The £40m Red Diesel Replacement (RDR) innovation programme focusses on construction/mining/quarrying sectors, accounting for 63% of UK red-diesel usage. https://www.e4tech.com/resources/248-e4tech-and-cenex-engage-sectors-that-use-red-diesel-to-identify-innovation-needs-for-low-carbon-alternatives.php. However, technologies developed and lessons learned through RDR will also benefit the metals recycling sector. Other Government support includes:Phase-2 Industrial-Fuel-Switching Competition, £55m, Autumn 2022: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/industrial-fuel-switching-competition.Phase-4 Industrial-Energy-Efficiency-Accelerator, Value/Date TBC: https://programmes.carbontrust.com/ieea/participate-in-ieea/.Phase-9 Energy-Entrepreneur’s-Fund, £10m, 25 March 2022: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/energy-entrepreneurs-fund-phase-9.Industrial-Energy-Transformation-Fund and Scottish-IETF, £289m and £34m, 31 January 2022 and Summer 2022: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/industrial-energy-transformation-fund.Spring Budget 2021: 1 April 2021 until 31 March 2023, companies can claim 130% first-year capital allowances on qualifying plant/machinery investments.

Land: Registration

Sir Geoffrey Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what the average time taken is for registrations of land by the land registry in each of the last three years; and what recent assessment he has made of adequacy of the efficiency of the land registry.

Paul Scully: HM Land Registry (HMLR) processed over 135,000 information service requests or applications to change the Land Register every day in 2021/22. Approximately 88% were information service requests. Over 90% of these were delivered instantly via digital services, with the remainder delivered within three days. Applications to change the Register make up the other 12% of requests and vary widely in type and complexity. Both customer demand and HMLR’s overall output is higher than three years ago. At the same time, HMLR has focused a greater proportion of its resource on the less frequent, but more complex applications that it best supports the needs of all customers. As a result, and while precise comparisons with three years ago are not straightforward due to differences in processes for customers and categorisation of case type, this rebalancing has increased the average waiting time for all cases, despite the increase in overall output. Over the last quarter, the average time to process changes for all cases was 7 weeks compared to 4 weeks during the same period last year. The time taken to process an application to change the Register should not impact a property sale because it takes place after a transaction has completed. However, if a delay might have a negative impact on future transactions, customers can request for any change to be fast tracked for no extra cost. HMLR is currently processing up to an average 950 of these applications each day (up from around 550 in April 2021). It has maintained a 95% rate of completion within 10 working days across all fast tracked applications. HMLR is making significant investment in long-term transformation. In the next three years it will have automated most applications to amend the Register and re-focused its expert caseworkers onto processing the most complex applications. It will also have started to improve the quality and accessibility of geospatial data to realise its vision of a fully informed property market that supports the wider economy.

Energy: Feed-in Tariffs

Sir Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how much the Government is (a) paying and (b) receiving for Feed-in Tariffs (FiT) by (i) KWh, (ii) total payments and resale, (iii) various forms of FiT renewables and (iv) commercial and domestic generation.

Greg Hands: Feed in Tariffs is a scheme designed to promote the uptake of small-scale renewable and low-carbon electricity generation technologies. The scheme is funded through Energy suppliers who levy the costs onto consumers. In Year 11 (20/21) of the FiT scheme, the overall capacity was approximately 6.43 GW, which generated 9.14 TWh of renewable electricity with the annual value of the scheme costing £1.76 billion. Eligible technologies for FiT include photovoltaic, onshore wind, anaerobic digestion, hydro and Micro CHP. Installed microgeneration (0 – 50 kW) accounted for an installed capacity of 3,484 MW with larger installations (>50 kW) totalling an installed capacity of 2,942 MW. Details of the tariff structure for each technology can be found here: https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/publications/feed-tariff-fit-tariff-table-1-april-2022.

Companies: Negligence

Fabian Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether he has plans to amend Section 414C of the Companies Act and to ensure that companies do not inadvertently allow corporate directors to conceal or otherwise diminish the impacts of corporate negligence judged to be immaterial by the Financial Reporting Council Conduct Committee.

Paul Scully: The directors of a company have a duty to prepare a strategic report and are responsible for its contents and their judgements. The auditor is required to review the strategic report and, based on the work done during the audit of the accounts, to state whether information in the strategic report is consistent with the accounts and has been prepared in accordance with applicable legal requirements. Both the directors and the auditor are accountable to the shareholders of the company for the contents of the strategic report.The Financial Reporting Council, through its Supervision Committee, reviews the annual reports of public and large private companies for compliance with the law. The FRC’s corporate reporting review work does not duplicate the role of directors or auditors. Directors are responsible for the judgements in the strategic report, not the FRC’s Supervision Committee.The Government will publish a post-implementation review of non-financial reporting regulations shortly. The post implementation review will cover both the 2013 regulations, which introduced the requirement for a strategic report, and the 2016 regulations requiring reporting on environmental, social and community matters, applicable to large Public Interest Entities.

Power Stations: Timber

Sir Peter Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, when he plans to arrange the meeting requested by the hon. Member for Worthing West to discuss burning north American wood products at UK power stations.

Greg Hands: My office will be in contact shortly to arrange a suitable date for this meeting.

Nuclear Power Stations: North Wales

Virginia Crosbie: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to the British energy security strategy, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of locating the headquarters of the Great British Nuclear Vehicle in North Wales in the context of the nuclear expertise in that area.

Greg Hands: As part of the Government’s ambition to set up the Great British Nuclear Vehicle this year, officials are working to scope the functions of this entity – building on UK industrial strengths and expertise. The UK has a proud nuclear tradition across many regions, with expertise to match. The Government continues to recognise the strong interest for nuclear power in North Wales and will consider all appropriate locations.

Greenhouse Gas Emissions: British Overseas Territories

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what estimate his Department has made of the total annual greenhouse gas emissions arising from the UK Overseas Territories which are currently not incorporated within the Paris Agreement.

Greg Hands: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave her on 15th March 2022 to Question 135440.

Greenhouse Gas Emissions: British Overseas Territories

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what level of greenhouse gas reduction the UK Overseas Territories of Gibraltar, the Cayman Islands and the Falkland Islands have achieved under the UK ratification of the Doha Amendment to the Kyoto Protocol; and whether they have fulfilled their targets.

Greg Hands: The UK’s Overseas Territories of the Cayman Islands, Falklands and Gibraltar do not have individual targets under the Doha Amendment, but are included in the UK’s target, which the UK is on track to meet. For reference, territorial greenhouse gas emissions in the base year (1990) and most recent year (2020) for the 3 territories listed are as follows (million tonnes carbon dioxide equivalent): UK Overseas Territory19902020Cayman Islands0.51.1Falkland Islands0.40.4Gibraltar0.20.2 Note that final estimates of emissions reductions under the Doha Amendment would differ slightly from these figures, as the UK has chosen to use 1995 as the base year for fluorinated gases emissions under the Kyoto Protocol. The UK will account for emissions from the land use, land use change and forestry sector in accordance with Kyoto Protocol guidelines. Final figures will be available following the ‘true-up’ process, in which final assessment of compliance with targets under the Doha amendment will take place, likely to be 2023 at the earliest.

Biofuels: HETAS

Geraint Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether the terms and conditions governing HETAS’s contract with his Department to manage the Biomass Suppliers List require it to declare (a) current and (b) future potential conflicts of interest.

Greg Hands: The administrator of the Biomass Suppliers’ List is Woodsure. Woodsure is a fully owned subsidiary of HETAS. The Department’s standard terms and conditions of contract include reference to conflict of interest, this requires contractors to declare any potential conflict of interest to the Secretary of State.

Biofuels: Procurement

Geraint Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what tender process his Department is using to select a provider to take over the running of the Government’s Biomass Suppliers List with effect from 1 July 2021.

Greg Hands: The Biomass Suppliers List was publicly tendered from January to February 2021. The Government received 13 expressions of interest and two tenders. Following evaluation, the Government appointed Woodsure to administer the List for two years.

Biofuels

Geraint Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, when he plans to publish the Government's Biomass Strategy 2022.

Greg Hands: The Government intends to publish its Biomass Strategy in late 2022.

Nuclear Power

Virginia Crosbie: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department is taking to help deliver nuclear projects by the end of the decade.

Greg Hands: The British Energy Security Strategy, announced on 7 April, outlined the intention to take one new nuclear power project to Final Investment Decision (FID) this Parliament, and two projects to FID in the next Parliament (including potentially at Wylfa). The ambition in the strategy could see our nuclear sector progressing up to 8 reactors by 2030. The statement also announced proposals for a new body to develop a resilient pipeline of new build nuclear projects, and a plan to launch the £120m Future Nuclear Enabling Fund in April, to award funding to projects which may potentially be part of future decisions.

Energy: Prices

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, for what reason the energy price cap does not apply to commercial meters for communal areas in the blocks of flats.

Greg Hands: The energy price cap was introduced following a two-year investigation by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), which identified that domestic consumers on default tariffs were paying a loyalty penalty.The CMA found no evidence of a loyalty penalty for consumers supplied via their landlord rather than being supplied directly to a meter in their home. Landlords purchase energy via a negotiated commercial supply contract. Ofgem has a rule in place limiting the maximum resale price at which landlords can resell gas or electricity to their tenants.The Government is committed to legislating within this parliament to regulate the heat networks sector. In December the Government announced that Ofgem will take on the role of regulator and have new powers to regulate prices in this sector.

Buildings: Carbon Emissions

Geraint Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether he has undertaken a comparative assessment of the carbon emissions required to heat and cool a building (a) relying solely on natural ventilation and (b) recirculating air at a typical rate though a mechanical heating, ventilation and air conditioning system.

Greg Hands: Most buildings in the UK rely solely on natural ventilation. Carbon emissions from heating and cooling is included in the UK greenhouse gas emissions national statistics~: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/provisional-uk-greenhouse-gas-emissions-national-statistics-2021. The Retrofit for the Future programme https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/retrofit-for-the-future-a-guide-to-making-retrofit-work compared natural ventilation with the use of mechanical ventilation with heat recovery when retrofitting buildings, but no comparative estimates of the carbon emissions was undertaken.

Buildings: Carbon Emissions

Geraint Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what estimate he has made of the level of carbon emissions in tonnes from central or standalone (a) heating in winter and (b) cooling in summer from buildings for which he is responsible that rely solely on natural ventilation.

Greg Hands: Most buildings in the UK rely solely on natural ventilation. Carbon emissions from heating and cooling is included in the UK greenhouse gas emissions national statistics: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/provisional-uk-greenhouse-gas-emissions-national-statistics-2021. The Government recently published a study on demand for cooling in UK buildings which is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cooling-in-the-uk.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy: DP World

Jonathan Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what meetings officials in his Department have had with DP World in the last 12 months.

Paul Scully: BEIS publishes details of the permanent secretary’s meetings on a quarterly basis which can be seen via this link:https://data.gov.uk/dataset/e05c7e01-4ace-46b6-bfab-341217cc35fc/beis-senior-officials-business-expenses-hospitality-and-meetings.Details of meetings held by officials is not held centrally.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy: Stonewall

Dawn Butler: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what discussions officials in his Department had with representatives of trade unions regarding his Department's decision to suspend its membership of Stonewall's Diversity Champion programme.

Lee Rowley: The Government has committed to a new standard for diversity and inclusion in the Civil Service which will promote a diversity of backgrounds and opinions. We are committed to fair, inclusive workplaces which draw on the talents of the widest possible range of backgrounds, especially people from non-traditional educational routes and from outside London and the South East. It is fundamental that everyone is able to seize opportunities in the workplace without fear of discrimination or harassment. Memberships of external schemes are kept under review, to ensure value for taxpayers’ money. A number of public bodies, including the BBC and EHRC, have resolved to best champion inclusion through internal programmes. Ministers believe that the underlying aims of supporting all staff, including those with protected characteristics, can be achieved in a different way to funding external pressure groups, without adverse equality impacts. The Civil Service’s Diversity and Inclusion Strategy can be found at:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/civil-service-diversity-and-inclusion-strategy-2022-to-2025/civil-service-diversity-and-inclusion-strategy-2022-to-2025-html.

Energy Supply: Costs

Anne Marie Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 19 April 2022 to Question 150169 on Energy: Standing Charges, what assessment he has made of whether the cost to suppliers of (a) service administration fees, (b) connections to and maintenance of energy networks and (c) Government schemes to help reduce carbon emissions and fuel poverty has increased in the last 12 months.

Greg Hands: There are several reasons for the increase in standing charges. These can include increases to the Warm Homes Discount, the increase in renewable energy sources and changes to distribution costs.

Northern Ireland Office

Northern Ireland Office: Information Officers

Deidre Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many communications staff are employed by his Department (a) full time, (b) part time and (c) on flexible working arrangements as of 19 April 2022.

Conor Burns: The number of staff working to deliver the communications function in the Northern Ireland Office is 13. All are employed on a full-time basis; there are no part-time communications staff. There are communications staff on flexible working arrangements but there are fewer than 5 on this arrangement.

Motor Sports: Northern Ireland

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, whether he has had discussions with relevant stakeholders on rescheduling the (a) Ulster Grand Prix and (b) Northwest 200 following cancellation as a result of the covid-19 outbreak.

Conor Burns: Responsibility for sport policy is devolved to the Northern Ireland Executive, with proposals for financial support a matter for the Executive and Tourism NI. We recognise the importance of events such as these for the Northern Ireland economy, and as part of Northern Ireland’s outstanding tourism offer. Our focus will be on encouraging the parties to form an Executive following the NI Assembly elections so that important decisions, such as proposals for financial support for sporting events, can be made by the Executive on behalf of the people in Northern Ireland. In the case of the Northwest 200 road races, the organisers have confirmed that the 2022 event will take place on May 8-14 and we wish those taking part and the organisers every success.

UK Internal Trade: Northern Ireland

Peter Kyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what recent estimate he has made of the number of companies in Great Britain that no longer service the Northern Ireland market following agreement of the Northern Ireland Protocol in October 2019.

Conor Burns: The Northern Ireland Protocol as it is currently being implemented is causing real problems for Northern Ireland. An example of this is the decision by at least 200 suppliers in Great Britain to cease delivery to Northern Ireland because of the costs and bureaucracy caused by the Protocol leading to reduced choice on the shelves in Northern Ireland. The Government has been consistently clear that significant changes are needed if the Protocol is to endure and provide the certainty businesses need and protect the stability of the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement.

Department of Health and Social Care

Leukaemia: Health Services

Virginia Crosbie: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure that chronic lymphocytic leukaemia patients on active monitoring receive sufficient tailored support to maintain their mental and physical wellbeing.

Maria Caulfield: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Community Nurses: Standards

Emma Hardy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Queen’s Nursing Institute report entitled Workforce Standards for the District Nursing Service, published in February 2022, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of that publication; whether his Department or NHS England has held any discussions with relevant stakeholders about that document and implementing its recommendations, since its publication; and if he will make a statement.

Edward Argar: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Coronavirus: Surveys

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 21 March 2022 to Question 140419, on Contact tracing: software, what the funding has been for the Office for National Statistics’ COVID-19 Infection Survey since its inception; what funding has been allocated for the continuing operation of that survey; if he will set out reasons for changes in funding allocated; and if he will make a statement.

Maggie Throup: In 2020/21, expenditure on the Office for National Statistics’ (ONS) COVID-19 Infection Survey was approximately £401.9 million. Confirmed expenditure in 2021/22 is not yet available as it is currently being audited. The ONS’ funding allocation for 2022/23, excluding testing, is £268.1 million. A proportion of this funding will be paid directly to other service suppliers and this allocation does not include the costs of processing tests.The scale of the survey is planned to be reduced by approximately 25% with 300,000 tests completed per month. The study will also transition to a more cost effective, transformed model guided by a framework of ‘digital-first with remote sampling’. The goal is to continue the provision of high-quality COVID-19 data and analysis, whilst significantly reducing costs and creating a more sustainable solution.

Protective Clothing: Contracts

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 20 April 2022 to Question 122676, what systems were used to record the results of the due diligence checks on suppliers of PPE during the covid-19 pandemic.

Edward Argar: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Doctors: Education

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made an assessment of the educational backgrounds of doctors.

Edward Argar: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Junior Doctors: Training

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the number of junior doctors who started their training in each of the last five years.

Edward Argar: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Coronavirus: Screening

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact on (a) GP and (b) NHS capacity of the end of provision of free covid-19 lateral flow tests on 1 April 2022; and if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of reintroducing free lateral flow testing for NHS staff to help tackle staff shortages.

Maggie Throup: We are unable to provide the information requested on specific assessments as this relates to the development of Government policy. However, we continue with the National Health Service to assess the impact of the end of free universal testing on primary, community and acute healthcare settings. From 1 April 2022, our testing strategy is focussed on protecting the most vulnerable population groups and settings, continuing surveillance to identify variants of concern and maintaining the ability to respond to potential new variants. We will continue to provide some asymptomatic testing in NHS services during periods of higher prevalence, including for staff and patients.

Coronavirus: Medical Treatments

Rebecca Long Bailey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many eligible people at highest risk of becoming seriously ill with covid-19 have been offered antibody and antiviral treatments for use at home via the NHS after having tested positive and not having been admitted to hospital.

Maggie Throup: The information requested is not held centrally. However, during the week commencing 11 April 2022, approximately 3,500 non-hospitalised patients in the United Kingdom have received COVID-19 treatments. Approximately 49,000 patients have now received these treatments.

Coronavirus: Screening

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what comparative assessment his Department has made of the impact of the coronavirus test device approvals (CTDA) process on (a) domestically- and (b) foreign-manufactured covid-19 tests which are not subject to the CTDA process.

Maggie Throup: The coronavirus test device approval (CTDA) is required for all molecular and antigen tests to enter the United Kingdom market. Non-antigen and non-molecular detection tests such as antibodies or biomarker-based testing technologies are currently excluded from the scope of validation. However, these will be monitored and revised as necessary, particularly as technologies become more mature and widespread. Regardless of the country of origin, all tests must meet the standards established in the CTDA regulations.The ‘Validating COVID-19 tests in the private market’ has assessed the impact of CTDA for UK based and international companies and is available at the following link:https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1053516/Validating_COVID_19_tests_in_the_private_market.pdfFurther to the legislation, we have committed to review this policy by the end of 2022.

Coronavirus: Medical Treatments

Rebecca Long Bailey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the average time taken is for eligible people at highest risk of becoming seriously ill with covid-19 to be offered antibody and antiviral treatments for use at home after having tested positive for covid-19 but not having been admitted to hospital.

Maggie Throup: Non-hospitalised individuals at highest risk from COVID-19 are potentially eligible for treatments via COVID Medicines Delivery Units. These treatments include antivirals and neutralising monoclonal antibodies (nMABs). In England, patients in this cohort have been treated within an average of 3.5 to four days from symptom onset. Oral antiviral treatments such as molnupiravir or Paxlovid are suitable to be taken at home. Other treatments, such as the intravenous antiviral remdesivir or the nMAB treatment sotrovimab, are administered intravenously within a clinical setting. Treatment times are generally faster for oral antivirals.

Public Health

Mike Amesbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to develop a long-term plan for the future of public health that (a) takes into account the public health challenges faced by the UK, (b) tackles workforce pressures and (c) recognises the interconnectedness of different parts of the health and care system.

Maggie Throup: The Office for Health Improvement and Disparities’ mission is to improve the nation’s health and reduce health disparities. The health disparities white paper, to be published later this year, will set out measures to address health disparities as they arise; from the circumstances in which people live, to the prevalence of healthy and unhealthy behaviours, to the health services that people receive.The Department continues to work with partners to develop and support the workforce needed to deliver health and care priorities. Integrated care systems are designed to achieve greater integration of health and care services. The Integration White Paper, published in February 2022, aims to build on reforms in the Health and Care Bill to accelerate progress in collaborative planning, funding and a person-centred approach to service delivery.

Abortion: Telemedicine

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, which organisations his Department consulted on ending early medical abortion at home; and what assessment his Department has made of the level of support that decision has among domestic abuse organisations.

Maggie Throup: Officials have regular meetings with the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, the Care Quality Commission and abortion service providers where the impact of the approval of home administration of abortion medication is discussed.We have assessed the level of support from domestic abuse organisations through the responses received to the Government’s consultation. Domestic abuse was raised as an issue on all sides of the public consultation. We will work with those in the violence against women and girls sector, the Domestic Abuse Commissioner, professional bodies such as the Royal Colleges and safeguarding leads, to monitor the impacts of home-use.

Coronavirus: Screening

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make free covid-19 lateral flow tests available to people visiting those who are vulnerable or who have underlying health conditions in the event that they would otherwise be unable to do so as a result of the cost of covid-19 tests.

Maggie Throup: The success of the vaccination programme and access to antiviral treatments, natural immunity and increased scientific and public understanding on managing risk, the population has much stronger protection against COVID-19.Those at risk of serious illness from COVID-19 who are eligible for treatments, will continue to receive free lateral flow device (LFD) tests for use should they develop symptoms. Eligible adult social care staff continue to have access to free twice-weekly LFD tests and symptomatic tests. In addition, free testing will be provided for residential special educational needs and disability and care home staff and residents during an outbreak and for care home residents upon admission.Unpaid carers and those visiting individuals in their own homes or in care homes do not need to regularly test, although they should continue to practice caution. Free tests are available for a small group of visitors providing personal care to loved ones in a care home to help prevent transmission and infection in high-risk communal settings.

Public Health: Gambling

Carolyn Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether it is his policy that there should be a comprehensive public health framework for gambling policy in the UK.

Maggie Throup: The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport is the lead department responsible for gambling policy. We continue to work with the Department for Digital, Culture Media and Sport on the current public health approach to addressing harmful gambling.

Tobacco

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has established a technical distinction between (a) heat-not-burn products, (b) Snus and (c) other reduced risk products, to help distinguish them from more harmful tobacco products.

Maggie Throup: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Public Health: Gambling

Carolyn Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of clinicians' recommendation that there should be a levy board responsible for a statutory gambling levy in the UK.

Maggie Throup: We are working with the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport to assess the effectiveness of existing funding arrangements to support projects and services related to problem gambling. This includes the appropriate governance structures to oversee this funding. The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport’s white paper with proposals for reform is expected to be published shortly.

Neuroleptic Malignant Syndrome: Research

Stella Creasy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what research projects his Department has funded into neuroleptic malignant syndrome since 2016.

Maria Caulfield: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Protective Clothing: Contracts

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 20 April 2022 to Question 122676, on Protective Clothing: Contracts, whether his Department holds data on what proportion of assessments made included a traffic-light rating of the potential supplier.

Edward Argar: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Coronavirus: Screening

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to support manufacturing of covid-19 lateral flow tests in the UK.

Maggie Throup: In October 2020, the Government commissioned work to support the United Kingdom’s diagnostic industry, to secure a supply of lateral flow device antigen tests and increase domestic production capacity. The Make UK programme delivered two clinically evaluated and regulatory approved antigen tests​ and provided investment in capital equipment and facilities expansion at three manufacturing companies in the UK​.The UK Health Security Agency has procured 125 million tests from UK companies and has contracts in place to procure further supplies. This represents an increase in production capacity of 3,500%. The Make UK programme has also increased capacity and resilience for current and future public health challenges​.

Protective Clothing: Contracts

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 21 April 2022 to Question 145886, on Randox Laboratories: Contracts, on how many contracts for supply of personal protective equipment his Department has carried out international price benchmarking since October 2020.

Edward Argar: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Tobacco: Health Hazards

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what comparative assessment he has made of the impact of the absence of combustion in heat-not-burn and snus products and combustion in cigarettes on the level of harm caused to users of those products.

Maggie Throup: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Abortion: Telemedicine

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of removing early medical abortion at home will have on the (a) financial and (b) human resources within the reproductive health sector.

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact the removal of early medical abortion at home may have on the average gestation age at which abortion is carried out.

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the World Health Organization’s recommendations of 9 March 2022 on the delivery of safe abortion care, including for nations to make abortion available via telemedicine and outside a healthcare facility, what (a) assessment he has made of the recommendations and (b) plans he has to ensure services in England can be delivered in line with them.

Maggie Throup: We assessed the evidence received from the responses to the Government’s consultation on whether the temporary approval should be made permanent. This included questions on the impact on the provision of abortion services including for the workforce, service delivery and value for money. The consultation asked about accessibility and safety for women and we received responses on reduced waiting times and gestation. The summary of these responses is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/home-use-of-both-pills-for-early-medical-abortion/outcome/home-use-of-both-pills-for-early-medical-abortion-ema-up-to-10-weeks-gestation-summary-of-consultation-responsesNo specific assessment has been made of the World Health Organization’s recommendations of 9 March 2022. An amendment to the Health and Care Bill sought to make the temporary approval permanent. On 30 March 2022 Parliament approved the permanent home use of early medical abortion. Further detail on the measure coming into force will be set out in due course.

Public Health: Finance

Mike Amesbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the finding in the Health Foundation's report published on 5 October 2021 that public health grant allocations to local councils used to fund drug treatment and recovery have fallen in real terms from £4.2 billion in 2015-16 to £3.3 billion in 2021-22, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that the Public Health Grant delivers a real term increase in funding for public health.

Maggie Throup: The 2021 Spending Review confirmed that the Public Health Grant for local authorities will increase in each of the next three years. In 2022/23, each local authority will receive a 2.81% increase, taking total funding to £3.417 billion.On 6 December 2021, the Government published ‘From harm to hope: A 10-year strategy to cut drug crime and save lives’. To support delivery of the strategy, an additional £785 million will be invested over three years, including £532 million to be allocated via the Department to local drug treatment and recovery systems. This funding is in addition to the local authority Public Health Grant, from which we expect local authorities to continue to invest in drug and alcohol treatment and prevention services.

Obesity: Health Services

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what prior assessment his Department made of the implications for its policies on tackling obesity of its decision to suspend £100 million of funding for local authority and NHS commissioned weight management services.

Maggie Throup: The decision to reprioritise funding for healthy weight activities was taken following consideration of options to meet the ongoing financial challenges of COVID-19 within existing budgets.On 6 April 2022, new Regulations on out of home calorie labelling came into force and new legislation on restricting the promotion and advertising of unhealthy food and drink will be implemented in due course.

Coronavirus: Disease Control

Feryal Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the impact of recently revised infection prevention and control guidance on the levels of protection against covid-19 for healthcare workers.

Maggie Throup: The UK Health Security Agency and NHS England and NHS Improvement continuously monitor COVID-19 infection rates amongst healthcare workers in England and update guidance based on the scientific evidence. The impact of the latest revised infection prevention and control guidance, which was published on 14 April, is due to be discussed by the UK IPC Cell in May.

Electronic Cigarettes: Japan

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the regulatory conditions placed on heat-not-burn products in Japan to help reduce smoking.

Maggie Throup: No specific assessment has been made.

Urinary Tract Infections: Antibiotics

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many Clinical Commissioning Groups will be reporting data on the 2022/23 CCG2 CQUIN: Appropriate antibiotic prescribing for UTI in adults aged 16+ from 1 April 2022.

Maggie Throup: Individual providers of NHS services report on Commissioning for Quality and Innovation (CQUIN) incentive schemes to NHS England and NHS Improvement. This will include the 2022/23 CQUIN ‘Appropriate antibiotic prescribing for UTI in adults aged 16+’. However, CQUINs are not reported via clinical commissioning groups.

Smoking: Brexit

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to reduce smoking prevalence following the UK leaving the European Union.

Maggie Throup: Since the United Kingdom’s exit from the European Union in 2020, we have continued to support people to quit smoking by investing in local stop smoking services, delivering targeted public health campaigns and enforcing a strong regulatory framework. We have also commissioned an Independent Review into Tobacco Control, which will make recommendations to support the ambition for England to be smoke-free by 2030. The Review will be published shortly.

Coronavirus: Drugs

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 20 April 2022 to Question 151008 on Coronavirus: Drugs, what specific local issues the National Health Service was aware of are; and which local areas have reported issues in distributing antiviral and retroviral treatment.

Maggie Throup: Since December 2021, COVID Medicines Delivery Units (CMDUs) have provided antiviral or monoclonal antibody treatments to over 40,000 patients in England at highest risk of hospitalisation as result of COVID-19. Organisations hosting CMDUs have been asked to increase resourcing and continue to prioritise the highest risk patients in light of higher case numbers due to the prevalence of the Omicron variant. There have also been reports of limited awareness of the new service in some localities. Local commissioners have been asked to ensure that general practitioner practices and local NHS services provide information to patients and ensure timely referrals. Further guidance and information has been issued to consultants, primary care and NHS 111. NHS England and NHS Improvement are engaging with local teams and stakeholder groups to raise awareness and support delivery of the service.

Abortion: Medical Treatments

Carla Lockhart: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of making abortion pill reversal treatment widely available through the NHS; and if he will undertake a feasibility study on this treatment.

Maggie Throup: No assessment has been made. There are currently no treatments licenced in the United Kingdom for the reversal of abortion and there are no plans to undertake such a feasibility study.

Medical Treatments: Guided Weapons

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the supplies of anti-radiation treatments required in the event of a nuclear attack; and whether he has had discussions on this matter with the Welsh Government.

Maggie Throup: The Government stockpiles a range of medical countermeasures to respond to risks identified in the National Risk Register of Civil Emergencies. This includes chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear incidents. The content of the stockpile is kept under regular review, taking into account any changes in the National Risk Register.The Department works with the UK Health Security Agency and the National Health Service to ensure arrangements are in place for the distribution of these stockpiles in emergencies. The Department also works with the Welsh Government and the other devolved administrations to ensure that all nations have access to this stockpile.

Influenza: Vaccination

Carla Lockhart: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many doses of the flu vaccine were administered in each of the last five years; and what steps his Department is taking to increase awareness of the flu vaccine programme.

Maggie Throup: The information on the number of doses of the flu vaccine administered is not available in the format requested. However, the following table shows the extrapolated total number of adults and children aged six months old and over vaccinated with the flu vaccine between September and February in each of the last five years to winter 2020/21. Data for winter 2021/22 is not yet available and will be published on 30 June 2022.Flu seasonTotal extrapolated number vaccinated2020/2119,629,0952019/2014,566,1632018/1914,349,1902017/18*14,155,694 Source: The UK Health Security AgencyNote:*Data to end of January An annual flu vaccination marketing awareness campaign encourages uptake amongst eligible cohorts. In 2021/22 the flu vaccine awareness campaign was combined with the COVID-19 booster vaccination campaign. Planning is underway for this year’s campaign.

Maternity Services: Migrants

Barbara Keeley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists' recent position statement on Equitable access to maternity care for refugee, asylum seeking and undocumented migrant women, if his Department will publish (a) data on the number of migrant women who have been charged for maternity care and (b) an assessment of the impact of charging migrant women for maternity care.

Edward Argar: The Department does not hold the information requested as it is not collected centrally from trusts. While some overseas visitors may be charged for these services, refugees and asylum seekers receive free National Health Service hospital care, including maternity care. There are also other safeguards for potentially vulnerable groups, as set out in the Department’s guidance on implementing the overseas visitor charging regime. The Department continuously reviews the NHS (Charges to Overseas Visitors) Regulations 2015, to consider the impact on vulnerable groups and protected characteristics, including pregnancy and maternity. It is currently the Department’s intention to publish updated impact analyses in summer 2022.

Members: Correspondence

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he plans to respond to the letter dated 24 February 2022 from the hon. Member for West Lancashire regarding dementia research funding, reference ZA59020.

Edward Argar: We replied to the hon. Member on 22 April 2022.

Members: Correspondence

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he plans to respond to the letter dated 9 February 2022 from the hon. Member for West Lancashire regarding cervical cancer screening, reference ZA58852.

Edward Argar: We replied to the hon. Member on 22 April 2022.

Long Covid: Health Services

Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what is the current average wait time for (a) assessment and (b) treatment for Long Covid in (i) Oxfordshire and (ii) England.

Maria Caulfield: The information requested for Oxfordshire is not available in the format requested. However, the attached table showing initial specialist assessments by waiting time in England between 14 February 2022 and 13 March 2022. The average waiting time for treatment following an initial specialist assessment is not held.TABLE (xlsx, 18.9KB)

Cervical Cancer: Screening

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make it his policy to increase the funding for smear testing on the NHS to help improve levels of early diagnosis.

Maria Caulfield: Unlike other National Health Service screening services, the NHS Cervical Screening Programme in England is a preventative programme which tests for abnormal cells which, if left untreated, could develop into cervical cancer. Cervical screening is an essential service as part of the General Practitioner (GP) contract and funding is awarded through the Quality Outcome Framework (QOF). The QOF points for cervical screening were doubled in 2020 to restore cervical screening levels. Practices were asked to identify those patients whose appointment may have been delayed or cancelled due to COVID-19 and ensure they were offered an appointment.

Dental Services: Finance

Judith Cummins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much of the £50 million NHS dentistry catch up fund announced in January 2022 has been spent in (a) total and (b) in each region of England.

Judith Cummins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many additional urgent care appointments have been delivered through the £50 million catch up funding for NHS dentistry in January 2022 in (a) total and (b) each region of England.

Judith Cummins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many additional urgent care appointments have been delivered through the £50 million catch up funding for NHS dentistry in January 2022 in Bradford South.

Judith Cummins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many dentists in England have delivered NHS care funded by the additional £50 million announced for NHS dentistry in January 2022.

Maria Caulfield: The information requested is not currently held centrally. National Health Service dentists have two months to submit FP17 data after completing a course of treatment. We anticipate that data for this additional activity should be available from June 2022. Regions are strongly advised to spend their full budget. NHS England’s regional commissioners continue to work with local contractors to commission as much additional activity as possible.

General Practitioners

Emma Hardy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what (a) assessment he has made of trends in the levels of GPs in England, (b) plans he has to increase that number and (b) targets he has for that number in each of the next three years.

Maria Caulfield: In December 2021, there were 1,672 more full time equivalent doctors in general practice in England compared to December 2019. The Department is working with NHS England and NHS Improvement, Health Education England and the profession to increase the general practice workforce in England. This includes measures to increase recruitment, address the reasons why doctors leave the profession and encourage them to return to practice. We have committed to deliver 6,000 more doctors in general practice as soon as possible.

Hospital Beds: Social Services

Karin Smyth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the number of social care assessment beds available to people on discharge from hospital.

Gillian Keegan: The planning of hospital discharge, including for those who require social care support, takes place across a range of health and care services according to the needs of the local population. As such, no specific national estimate of the number of social care beds available to patients discharged from hospital for short-term care has been made. Multi-disciplinary teams, including services provided by community health, adult social care and care providers, work together to plan post-discharge care and manage capacity. We have established a national discharge taskforce to identify long-term, sustainable changes to reduce delayed discharges and ensure patients are only in hospital for as long as they need to be.

Medical Records: Data Protection

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the recommendations in the Goldacre review, what steps he is taking to ensure that NHS data policies take into consideration the limitations of (a) pseudonymisation and (b) trust as techniques when managing patient privacy; and what discussions he has had with the Cabinet Office on the implications of that policy for Government data sharing more broadly.

Gillian Keegan: The Goldacre review highlighted that National Health Service data can accelerate medical research and allow planning for more effective services, while also describing the limitations of a system built on data sharing which relies on techniques such as trust and pseudonymisation to manage patient privacy. The Review recommends that the NHS adopts secure online platforms for verified researchers and analysts to access its data. These platforms, known as Secure Data Environments or Trusted Research Environments, will support high standards of information governance, transparency and security. Secure Data Environments remove the need for data to be physically shared between different users which reduces the reliance on factors such as trust and pseudonymisation being necessary to manage patient privacy.The Department is currently developing policy principles and standards for the adoption of Secure Data Environments in the NHS. We will continue to engage with other Government departments on issues of data policy.

Research: Data Protection

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to help ensure that data from clinical research is accessible to (a) researchers, (b) the third sector and (c) the NHS as early as possible while preserving patient privacy.

Gillian Keegan: The Department supports the appropriate and ethical sharing of research data to maximise benefits to patients, the public and the health and care system. The National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) sets out the expectations for those in receipt of its awards in the ‘NIHR position on the sharing of research data’, which is available at the following link:https://www.nihr.ac.uk/documents/nihr-position-on-the-sharing-of-research-data/12253Publications describing the findings of NIHR-funded research must include information on how others, including researchers, the third sector and the National Health Service, can access the study data through a data sharing statement. The NIHR also encourages researchers' data to be placed in an appropriate repository where possible.

Secure Accommodation: Injuries

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his department provides clinical support to children living in secure accommodation following incidents in which they have been restrained; and what information his department holds on the process of recording those incidents.

Gillian Keegan: NHS England and NHS Improvement commission healthcare services for children in the children and young people secure estate (CYPSE). Under the Healthcare Standards for the CYPSE, children should be seen by a healthcare professional as soon as possible after being restrained, to provide support and fully document any injuries sustained. Restrictive interventions are recorded on Mental Health Services Data Set for all children and young people mental health inpatient services, which is available at the following link:https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/data-tools-and-services/data-services/mental-health-data-hub/mental-health-services-monthly-statistics-restrictive-interventionsThe Mental Health Units (Use of Force) Act 2018 came into force on 1 April 2022, placing a requirement on inpatient mental health providers to record of any use of force on a patient by staff who work in that unit. This will inform the published end of year statistics.

Social Services: Recruitment

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of previous recruitment campaigns for the social care workforce; and if he will publish that assessment.

Gillian Keegan: The Department has conducted adult social care recruitment marketing campaigns since 2019, unifying recruitment efforts across 17,700 care providers in the sector. However, as the Department is not the lead employer and there is no centralised recruitment data, we evaluate the campaigns through engagement with the recruitment website and the Department for Work and Pensions’ Find a Job resource, media reach and pre, mid and post campaign polling.In 2020/21, we estimate that campaign activity generated 274,044 new users to the adult social care recruitment campaign website, of which 46.75% subsequently searched for jobs in adult social care in their local area. However, it should be noted that this represents those users who consented to tracking cookies. Historic campaign data prior to the implementation of the General Data Protection Regulation indicates that, we now record approximately 17% of the total number of individuals landing on the website. We therefore estimate that the actual number of users is higher. We are currently evaluating engagement from the most recent campaign between November 2021 to March 2022, with outcomes due at the end of May 2022.

Use of Health Data for Research and Analysis Review

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the implications of the Goldacre Review for data sharing in the NHS and data privacy and control for NHS patients; and what assessment he has made of the compatibility of that review's recommendations with data sharing policies in (a) the rest of his Department and (b) other Government departments.

Gillian Keegan: Many of the recommendations made in the Goldacre Review are aligned with existing programmes. This includes improving the analytical capability and career trajectories in the National Health Service and the adoption of Secure Data Environments for access to NHS data by researchers and analysts. The Government’s initial response to the Review will be included in the forthcoming Health and Social Care Data Strategy. We will continue to work with the NHS and stakeholders to assess the Review’s recommendations and a combined approach to implementation. On issues of data policy, we continue to engage with other Government departments.

Health Services and Social Services

Mike Amesbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Health and social care integration: joining up care for people, places and populations White Paper, published on 8 February 2022, if he will develop a single shared outcomes framework to replace existing ones ensuring that key partners are focused on meeting a small set of shared national outcome targets.

Gillian Keegan: As part of the shared outcome setting process, the Government is reviewing alignment with other priority setting exercises and outcomes frameworks across the health and social care system. We do not intend that shared outcomes should add to the overall burden of national requirements.We have committed to consult stakeholders and design a framework with a concise number of national priorities and approach for developing additional local shared outcomes. These activities will inform the overall outcomes framework, and its relation to existing priority setting exercises and outcomes frameworks. We will set out this approach by spring 2023.

Cancer: Research

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had with industry and academic partners on reducing barriers to commercialisation of cancer research.

Maria Caulfield: We engage regularly with academia and industry regarding the ambitions contained in the Life Sciences Vision. This includes the development and commercialisation of new cancer medicines, diagnostics and genomic and predictive technologies in the United Kingdom.The National Institute for Health and Care Research’s (NIHR) Intellectual Property Unit aims to develop the capacity of researchers to enter into commercial partnerships with relevant organisations; provide support and advice on processes and intellectual property management to facilitate commercialisation of new research and technologies. The NIHR also provides funding for studies through the Invention for Innovation Programme, to reduce the risks for innovations which have potential for commercialisation.

Endometriosis: Northern Ireland

Carla Lockhart: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions her Department has had with the Department of Health in Northern Ireland on access to endometriosis services.

Maria Caulfield: I wrote to the Minister of Health in Northern Ireland on 2 March 2022, to request a joint meeting with the hon. Member for Belfast East (Gavin Robinson MP), to discuss endometriosis provision.

Cancer: Health Services

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of Cancer Research’s publication entitled Ten year cancer plan for England.

Maria Caulfield: While no formal assessment has yet been made, the Department continues to engage with Cancer Research UK to inform the development 10 Year Cancer Plan, due to be published later this year.

Prosthetics

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent estimate he has made of the number of people who have bionic limbs, by age.

Gillian Keegan: The information requested is not held centrally.

Cancer: Radiology

Tonia Antoniazzi: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans his Department has to encourage the use by radiologists of UK guidelines for the management of soft tissue sarcomas, published in 2016 by Clinical Sarcoma Research.

Maria Caulfield: We have no plans to do so. As a direct commissioner of both soft tissue and bone sarcoma services, NHS England and NHS Improvement require that all commissioned providers must meet the standards contained within national service specifications and comply with associated clinical commissioning policies, which set out access to specific interventions.Where clinicians consider that there is evidence which supports making amendments to national service standards or access policies, they are encouraged to submit proposals to NHS England and NHS Improvement.

Dental Services: Finance

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 7 February 2022 to Question 116905, on Dental Services: Finance, what response he has received from NHS regional commissioning teams on their ability to use the full budget provided to deliver additional NHS dental hours from the funding announced on the NHS England website on 25 January 2022 on securing additional dental appointments for people with oral pain, disease, and infection in (a) the Brighton and Hove area, (b) the South East region and (c) England; how any unused funds will be redistributed; and if he will make a statement.

Maria Caulfield: The information is not currently held centrally. National Health Service dentists have two months to submit FP17 dental activity data forms after completing a course of treatment. We anticipate that data for the additional activity will be available from June 2022. It is not possible to carry over unused funds from one financial year to another due to standard accounting practices. Unused additional activity funding is therefore not eligible for redistribution in the following year.

Cancer: Research

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what proportion of the £95 million allocated to the Life Sciences Vision will be used to progress the Vision’s Cancer Mission.

Maria Caulfield: The Office for Life Sciences is working with partner organisations and stakeholders to develop an implementation plan for the Life Sciences Vision. This includes the delivery of the Cancer Mission to enable early diagnosis and immune therapy for cancer, including through cancer vaccines. Further details on the implementation plan and funding allocations will be provided in due course.

Ambulance Services: Shropshire

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will request an update from NHS Improvement and NHS England on the steps being taken across the health and care system to tackle ambulance handover delays at Shropshire’s acute hospitals.

Edward Argar: NHS England and NHS Improvement are providing support to 35 challenged hospital sites to improve their patient handover processes, ensuring that these happen within an agreed timeframe and allowing ambulance crews to respond to calls.West Midlands Ambulance Service has introduced a clinical validation team responsible for triaging lower urgency cases and where appropriate diverting patients to other services, increasing the ‘hear and treat’ rate in Shropshire. Hospital Ambulance Liaison Officers at Shropshire’s acute hospitals are improving the flow of patients arriving at accident and emergency (A&E) departments, by cohorting ambulance patients at both sites. A single ambulance crew is responsible for three to four patients, releasing additional crews to respond to calls in the community.A new Same Day Emergency Centre has opened at the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital, which receives ambulances directly, diverting patients from A&E as clinically appropriate and improving handover times. We have also invested £9.3 million to upgrade the emergency department, delivering additional cubicles, a new and improved majors department, a designated emergency zone for children and young people and a clinical decisions unit.

Long Covid: Research

Dr Rupa Huq: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what additional funds his Department will allocate to Long Covid research.

Maria Caulfield: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 29 March 2022 to Question 144976.

Fertility: Medical Treatments

Florence Eshalomi: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will take steps to ensure section 3A of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990 (HFEA) does not discriminate against people living with HIV.

Maria Caulfield: The Government has no current plans to review the legislation related to the quality and safety of reproductive tissues and cells.

Members: Correspondence

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he plans to respond to the letter dated 18 February 2022 from the hon. Member for West Lancashire, reference ZA58962 regarding access to dental treatment.

Edward Argar: We replied to the hon. Member on 22 April 2022.

Neuroleptic Malignant Syndrome: Diagnosis

Stella Creasy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many patients were diagnosed with neuroleptic malignant syndrome in each year from 2016 to 2021.

Maria Caulfield: This information is not held in the format requested.

Steroid Drugs: Side Effects

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to tackle withdrawal symptoms of people using steroid creams.

Edward Argar: The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has reviewed topical steroid withdrawal and issued advice to health care professionals of the risks of long-term treatment, which is available at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/drug-safety-update/topical-corticosteroids-information-on-the-risk-of-topical-steroid-withdrawal-reactions  Following this review, amendments are being made to patient information leaflets included in packs to add warnings regarding long term use and the development of topical steroid withdrawal. To support the safe clinical use of topical corticosteroids, the MHRA has also developed a safety leaflet, which is available at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/topical-corticosteroids-and-withdrawal-reactions The MHRA continues to monitor this issue and will publish further advice as required.

Coronavirus: Disease Control

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has plans to issue guidance to the public on the steps they should take to help protect people who are at high risk of severe illness from covid-19, including wearing face masks in essential service settings and crowded areas, keeping spaces ventilated and self-isolating when infected.

Maggie Throup: On 23 February 2022, the Government published ‘COVID-19 Response: Living with COVID-19’, which offers advice on safer behaviours to reduce the risk of infection. This includes advice on the wearing of face coverings in crowded and enclosed areas, letting fresh air in if meeting indoors and staying at home and avoiding contact with other people on testing positive for COVID-19. The guidance is available at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-response-living-with-covid-19/covid-19-response-living-with-covid-19#protecting-people-most-vulnerable-to-covid-19

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what (a) the take-up of the covid-19 second booster for the over 75s is and (b) plans he has to increase the level of take up.

Maggie Throup: The data is not available in format requested. However, as 17 April 2022 over 33% of people aged 75 years old and over in England have received a booster dose since 21 March 2022, which includes second booster doses. Those eligible will be contacted by the National Health Service and offered an appointment approximately six months after their last dose.The Department, NHS England and the UK Health Security Agency continue to provide advice and information to the public to increase uptake. As of 22 April 2022, approximately 2.6 million invitations had been sent to those in England eligible for a spring dose, including those aged 75 years old and older. In addition, information materials have been translated into 28 languages. NHS England is working with a range of groups to promote vaccination, including clinically-led question and answer sessions with those known to be more hesitant. Targeted approaches include working with leading Muslim doctors and the British Islamic Medical Association to encourage eligible individuals from the Muslim community to receive the spring dose during Ramadan. Local NHS teams are also offering vaccinations in care homes and through targeted mobile vaccination sites.

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Mr Steve Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will enable people to access covid-19 vaccinations outside the NHS, such as by those who use private health service providers.

Maggie Throup: Private sales of any COVID-19 vaccine are a decision for vaccine manufacturers. There are sufficient stocks of COVID-19 vaccines in the United Kingdom to allow all those eligible to be vaccinated through the National Health Service free of charge. As of 14 April 2022, over 141.5 million doses have been administered via the NHS.

Gambling: Health

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether officials in his Department contributed to the drafting of the upcoming white paper on gambling-related harm.

Maggie Throup: Whilst officials from the Department of Health and Social Care have not directly contributed to drafting of the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport’s white paper, we continue to support the public health approach to tackling gambling-related harms.

Disease Control

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether officials in his Department are working with representatives of the UK diagnostics industry on pandemic preparedness.

Maggie Throup: The UK Health Security Agency works with representatives of the United Kingdom diagnostics industry and other industries on pandemic preparedness.

Gambling: Public Health

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether officials in his Department have held discussions with officials in HM Treasury on the implications for public health of gambling-related harm.

Maggie Throup: The Department of Health and Social Care and HM Treasury officials have met to discuss the implications for public health of gambling-related harm. The Department continues to ensure those experiencing gambling-related harms can access the right treatment and support.

Coronavirus: Screening

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 12 April 2022 to Question 145835 on Coronavirus: Screening, what criteria are used to determine commercial sensitivity; and what his timescale is for publishing the number of lateral flow device tests issued to the public or used in healthcare settings since March 2020.

Maggie Throup: The specific expenditure on lateral flow device (LFD) tests is commercially sensitive as it could prejudice the Department’s future commercial relations with suppliers if this information were to be disclosed. On 14 April 2022, we published data on the number of LFD tests dispatched from September 2020 to February 2022, by use case. This information is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/weekly-statistics-for-nhs-test-and-trace-england-31-march-to-6-april-2022Prior to September 2020 LFD tests were not in use.

Gambling: Health Services

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will hold discussions with the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport on implementing a statutory levy on the gambling industry to fund education, research and treatment in respect of gambling-related harm.

Maggie Throup: Officials in the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport and the Department of Health and Social Care are discussing evidence of the effectiveness of existing funding arrangements to support projects and services related to harmful gambling. The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport expects to publish its white paper outlining the conclusions and proposals for reform in due course.

NHS Covid Pass: Contracts

Mr Steve Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the purposes are of the Covid Pass Delivery Partner contract awarded to Netcompany UK Limited on 1 April 2022.

Maggie Throup: Netcompany is required to provide services for a range of COVID pass products. This includes providing live service support and infrastructure development services, such as the design and integration of the operation service of the COVID Pass system.

Immunosuppression: Coronavirus

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of launching a public awareness campaign on the ongoing risk posed to immunocompromised people as covid-19 restrictions are eased; and what steps people can take to ensure that immunocompromised people continue to be protected while covid-19 is in circulation.

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of launching a public awareness campaign on the ongoing risk of covid-19 for severely immunocompromised people after 1 April 2022; and if he will provide details of the steps people can take to ensure that severely immunocompromised people continue to be protected from that disease.

Maggie Throup: No specific assessment has been made. However, on 25 February 2022, updated public health advice was issued for those who were previously considered clinically extremely vulnerable, which is available at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/guidance-on-shielding-and-protecting-extremely-vulnerable-persons-from-covid-19/guidance-on-shielding-and-protecting-extremely-vulnerable-persons-from-covid-19 On 4 April, updated guidance was published for those whose immune system means they are at higher risk of serious illness if they become infected with COVID-19, which is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-guidance-for-people-whose-immune-system-means-they-are-at-higher-risk/covid-19-guidance-for-people-whose-immune-system-means-they-are-at-higher-risk ‘COVID-19 Response: Living with COVID-19’, published in February, offers advice on safer behaviours to reduce the risk of infection, which is available at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-response-living-with-covid-19/covid-19-response-living-with-covid-19#protecting-people-most-vulnerable-to-covid-19

Coronavirus: Disease Control

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, on what date the UKHSA plans to publish public health guidance for employers in respect of the actions that employers may take to reduce the spread of covid-19 and other respiratory infections in the workplace.

Maggie Throup: The UK Health Security Agency published ‘Reducing the spread of respiratory infections, including COVID-19, in the workplace’ on 1 April 2022. This provides information for employers and workplace managers, replacing guidance on working safely with COVID-19 and is available at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/reducing-the-spread-of-respiratory-infections-including-covid-19-in-the-workplace

Coronavirus: Screening

Feryal Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of England’s covid-19 testing capacity in the event of (a) a new variant of covid-19 and (b) an upsurge in hospitalisations.

Maggie Throup: The Government has retained the ability to enable a rapid testing response should it be needed, such as in the case of a new variant of concern. This includes a stock of lateral flow device tests and the ability to increase capacity in testing laboratories and delivery channels. The details of these contingency arrangements would be determined by the specific circumstances and the risks posed by a variant. The success of the COVID-19 vaccination and booster programme and the availability of antiviral treatments has ensured there is a lower risk of severe illness or hospitalisation in the general population.

Immunosuppression: Coronavirus

Mark Tami: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he intends to issue specific guidance for people who are immunocompromised or immunosuppressed on how to manage their risk to covid-19 in the Living Safely with Covid strategy.

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether specific guidance will be mailed directly to people who are severely immunocompromised on how to manage their risk from covid-19 beyond 1 April 2022.

Maggie Throup: On 4 April 2022, updated guidance for people whose immune system means they are at higher risk of serious illness if they become infected with COVID-19 was published at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-guidance-for-people-whose-immune-system-means-they-are-at-higher-riskImmunocompromised individuals who are eligible to receive COVID-19 treatments will receive a letter from NHS England offering advice should they become symptomatic, which is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/coronavirus/publication/letter-to-patients-important-information-about-new-treatments-for-coronavirus/The letter also includes information on accessing free lateral flow device tests and should they test positive, how to contact a Covid Medicines Delivery Unit in and out of general practitioner surgery hours.

Coronavirus: Medical Treatments

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the Government has made an assessment of the adequacy of surge capacity in the supply of existing and upcoming covid-19 treatments in the event of future waves and variants of that disease.

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the Government has ensured sufficient surge capacity in the supply of (a) existing and (b) upcoming covid-19 treatments in the event of future waves and variants of that disease.

Maggie Throup: The Government has procured 4.98 million courses of oral antivirals, including 2.75 million courses of nirmatrelvir and ritonavir, co-packaged as Paxlovid, 2.23 million courses of molnupiravir and 100,008 courses of the monoclonal antibody sotrovimab. The National Health Service also has access to remdesivir, tocilizumab, sarilumab and dexamethasone. Procured volumes are based on clinical advice, assessment of patient cohort sizes and modelled demand in the event a future wave or emerging variant of concern. Stock levels are regularly monitored to ensure sufficient volumes are available to meet current and projected demand, including sufficient surge capacity.

Coronavirus: Risk Assessment

Holly Lynch: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of requiring employers to carry out covid-19 risk assessments for their immunocompromised employees in the health and social care sector.

Dr Lisa Cameron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the Government will require workplaces to conduct risk assessments for the potential effect of working arrangements on people who are immunosuppressed.

Maggie Throup: We have made no such assessment. The Government continues to provide guidance for employers, including in the health and social care sector, to take reasonable steps to manage the risks of COVID-19 and protect staff. ‘Reducing the spread of respiratory infections, including COVID-19, in the workplace’, published on 1 April 2022, is available at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/reducing-the-spread-of-respiratory-infections-including-covid-19-in-the-workplace For workers who are at greater risk of serious illness from COVID-19, such as those with a weakened immune system, employers may wish to consider their specific needs, including any entitlement to a reasonable adjustment under the Equality Act 2010. The Health and Safety Executive no longer requires every business to consider COVID-19 in its risk assessment or have specific measures in place. However, employers may still choose to continue to include COVID-19 in risk assessments. Employers should also continue to comply with the requirements for cleaning, ventilation and welfare facilities in the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992 or the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015 to control occupational health and safety risks. Employers have a duty to consult with employees or their representatives on health and safety matters.

Ambulance Services: Standards

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many ambulance services are at Level 4 in the Resource Escalation Action Plan in England as at 21 April 2022.

Edward Argar: All ambulance services in England were at Resource Escalation Action Plan Level 4 as at 21 April 2022.

Coronavirus: Health Services

Sir Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 14 March 2022 to Question 136496 on Coronavirus: Health Services, in what format his Department holds that information in relation to covid-19 vaccine damage.

Maggie Throup: During the pandemic, the financial framework moved to a system of nationally agreed block contracts with retrospective top-ups for reasonable COVID-19 related costs. While the costs collected in 2020/21 include elements of care delivered to patients, they do not contain an explicit price or cost for COVID-19 vaccination damage and therefore there is no specific related budget.The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency monitors the safety of all vaccines. The Department also works with public health partners to review the effectiveness and impact of the COVID-19 vaccines to ensure the benefits continue to outweigh any potential side effects.

Health: Data Protection

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 20 December 2021 to Question 92932, and with reference to page 11 of the Life Sciences Vision, what plans his Department has to simplify governance and oversight of NHS health data to drive research and innovation; and how the Medical Technology Directorate will contribute to that.

Edward Argar: The Medical Technologies (MedTech) Directorate aligns with the Life Sciences Vision to supports the simplification of governance and oversight processes. The Directorate’s recently established data and analysis team will work with health and social care partners to strengthen the collection and use of evidence, improve national data standards and promote better integration of datasets in the MedTech Sector. More detail on the improvement of data governance will be published in the MedTech Strategy in summer 2022.In addition, the newly created NHS Transformation Directorate is leading on data collection and management needs to fulfil the Life Sciences Vision. The MedTech Directorate will work with the NHS Transformation Directorate to support its aim of integrating National Health Service health and genomic datasets in the United Kingdom, to encourage innovation and clinical trials with diverse representation.

Meningitis: Vaccination

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 29 March 2022 to Question 144937 on Meningitis: Vaccination and with reference to the MenB vaccination uptake data, what his timetable is for that data to be analysed; and what steps he is taking to encourage increased uptake.

Maggie Throup: MenB vaccine coverage data is automatically uploaded to the central ImmForm website on a monthly basis. NHS England and NHS Improvement use this data, combined with local intelligence, to maintain oversight of the uptake and coverage of the programme. The data is validated, analysed and published quarterly and annually by the UK Health Security Agency.NHS England and NHS Improvement’s Immunisation Improvement Plan is currently being implemented to increase uptake and ensuring that the lessons of COVID-19 are embedded in routine vaccine delivery, including MenB vaccination.

Medical Technologies Directorate: Life Sciences

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 20 December 2021 to Question 92932, and with reference to page 10 of the Life Sciences Vision, what role the Medical Technologies Directorate will have in maintaining and growing investment in research into Life Sciences.

Edward Argar: The Medical Technologies (MedTech) Directorate supports the growth of investment in life sciences. Following the 2021 Spending Review, the Government has confirmed specific funds will be provided to directly support the delivery of the Life Sciences Vision.The MedTech Directorate supports research with its stakeholders including regulators, the National Health Service, the Office for Life Sciences, the Health Research Authority and the National Institute for Health and Care Research, to promote evaluation and enhance patient outcomes. The MedTech Strategy intends to create an environment which attracts and supports investment and the Directorate will work with other Government departments to promote increased expenditure.

Department of Health and Social Care: Written Questions

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he plans to answer Questions 103698, 103699, 103700, 103701, 103702, 103703, tabled on 13 January 2022 by the hon. Member for Luton South.

Edward Argar: I refer the hon. Member to the answer to Questions 103698, 103699, 103700, 103701, 103702 and 103703.

Mental Health Services: Children and Young People

Adam Afriyie: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many (a) inpatient child and (b) adolescent mental health beds have there been in the NHS in each of the last 12 years.

Gillian Keegan: This information is not collected in the format requested, as the data does not differentiate between child and adolescent mental health beds. Information was not collected centrally prior to 2017/18. However, the following table shows the number of child and adolescent inpatient mental health beds commissioned by NHS England and NHS Improvement at the beginning of each financial year from 2017/18.  2017/181,4762018/191,5112019/201,5342020/211,4382021/221,3662022/231,401  Source: NHS England and NHS Improvement

NHS: Parking

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the cost to (a) nurses, (b) midwives and (c) other NHS workers of ending free car parking.

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has had discussions with representatives of NHS Trusts on street safety issues as a result of NHS workers, particularly women, not being able to access free car parking at work.

Edward Argar: No assessment of these costs has been made and there have been no specific discussions. Free parking in hospital car parks for National Health Service staff was temporarily introduced for the duration of the pandemic. As we begin to learn to live with the virus, this temporary measure ended on 1 April 2022.However, staff working night shifts will continue to benefit from free hospital car parking. NHS trusts will also support NHS workers in finding alternative parking options which are safe. As facilities will vary, staff should raise any concerns with the relevant trust.

Mental Health Services: British National (Overseas)

Charlotte Nichols: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what mental health support is being offered to people arriving in the UK as refugees under the Hong Kong British National (Overseas) route; and if he will make a statement.

Gillian Keegan: Anyone granted asylum, temporary protection or humanitarian protection under the immigration rules of section 3 of the Immigration Act 1971 is recognised as a refugee and access healthcare exempt from charges, including mental health services. Those entering the United Kingdom via the Hong Kong British National (Overseas) (BN(O)) visa route are not classed as refugees, nor as claiming asylum. However, as they have paid the Immigration Health Surcharge, they will be able to access NHS services, such as mental health support, free at the point of use, on broadly on the same basis as a person who is ordinarily resident in the UK.

Department of Health and Social Care: Written Questions

Mike Amesbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he plans to answer Question 116039 tabled by the hon. Member for Weaver Vale on 1 February 2022.

Mike Amesbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he plans to answer Question 116040, tabled by the hon. Member for Weaver Vale on 1 February 2022.

Mike Amesbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he plans to answer Question 116041 tabled by the hon. Member for Weaver Vale on 1 February 2022.

Mike Amesbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he plans to answer Question 116042 tabled by the hon. Member for Weaver Vale- on 1 February 2022.

Edward Argar: I refer the hon. Member to the answers to Questions 116039, 116040, 116041 and 116042.

Ambulance Services: Shropshire

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to (a) improve the performance of the ambulance service in Shropshire and (b) assess the feasibility of providing an ambulance service for that county rather than the regional ambulance service run from Birmingham.

Edward Argar: The West Midlands Ambulance Service is working with community partners to improve ambulance performance in Shropshire. This includes reducing unnecessary conveyances through alternative clinical treatments to increase ambulance capacity; hospital liaison managers improving patient flow through accident and emergency (A&E) and reduce ambulance queues; and a new same day emergency centre supporting A&E capacity to reduce ambulance handover times. In addition, a £9.3 million upgrade of the emergency department at the Royal Shrewsbury will deliver additional capacity and help improve urgent and emergency care services locally. The configuration of the provision of local ambulance services is for local National Health Service commissioners to consider in the best interests of the local population.

Kidney Diseases: Mental Health Services

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made an assessment of the suitability of mental health support for those suffering with renal issues.

Gillian Keegan: No specific assessment has been made. Service providers are responsible for ensuring the support provided to patients is suitable, including having due regard to guidance from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE). The NICE guideline for chronic kidney disease (CKD) includes the recommendation to take account of the psychological aspects of coping with CKD and offering patients access to support as appropriate.Additionally, the National Adult Renal Services Transformation Programme has identified psychosocial support within renal services as a theme for improvement. Work is underway with clinicians, patient representatives and other subject matter experts to identify best practice which can support patients’ psychosocial needs and how this can be shared. This will influence elements of the renal pathway, including future commissioning specifications, data and metrics and workforce requirements.Those suffering with renal issues can also access mental health support via referral to Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) services. IAPT offers integrated pathways of care for people with long-term conditions which are integrated with physical care services, usually in the same location.

Motor Neurone Disease: Building Alterations

Dr Rupa Huq: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure that local authorities provide home adaptations to people living with motor neurone disease in a timely manner.

Gillian Keegan: Since 2010, we have invested more than £4 billion in the Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG), which has delivered an estimated 490,000 home adaptations, including for people living with motor neurone disease.The Adult Social Care White Paper announced £573 million for the DFG in each year from 2022/23 to 2024/25 and committed to consult on reforms to the Grant in 2022. DFG reforms. In addition, we have recently published guidance to advise local authorities in England how they can effectively and efficiently deliver DFG-funded adaptations to serve the needs of local older and disabled people, including those living with motor neurone disease.

Psychology: Health Services

Dr Dan Poulter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to increase funding for psychology services in the NHS.

Gillian Keegan: We have committed to increasing funding to allow an additional 380,000 people to access Improving Access to Psychological Therapies services per year by 2023/24. In response to the pandemic, we invested an additional £38 million in 2021/22 to ensure that IAPT services were equipped to deliver access, waiting time and recovery standards.

Health Services: Sign Language

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what guidance NHS England has issued to issues to healthcare Trusts on accessibility of British Sign Language interpreters for patients with hearing impairments.

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the performance of contracts issued by NHS England to British Sign Language interpretation providers.

Gillian Keegan: NHS England and NHS Improvement have commissioned the North of England Commissioning Support Unit to undertake an independent review of commissioning arrangements for British Sign Language (BSL) interpreting services in the National Health Service in England. The review has concluded and NHS England and NHS Improvement anticipate that its report will be published shortly.NHS England issued ‘Guidance for Commissioners: Interpreting and Translation Services in Primary Care in September 2018’, which aims to provide practical advice to commissioners including details of the legal position, principles for high quality interpreting and translation services and commissioning and contracting considerations. While this guidance was initially provided for primary medical care services, it states that commissioners may find the contents applicable to other settings, such as other primary care settings or hospital sites.No specific assessment of the performance of contracts issued to BSL provider has been made.

Care Workers: Coronavirus

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to support social care workers who have lost income due to a positive covid-19 test since the closure of Test and Trace Support Payment scheme.

Gillian Keegan: Most care workers are employed by private sector providers, which are responsible for their pay and conditions. We expect all care providers to support good health and safety practice, with staff staying away from the workplace when there would be a health risk to those in their care, as before the pandemic.The Government has made £2.9 billion available to support care sector staff in the response to COVID-19. We are now moving towards a more sustainable funding position, where care providers will be funded by local authorities and self-funders, as before the pandemic.

Mental Health Services: Children

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make it his policy that the forthcoming reform of the 1983 Mental Health Act will include school and community-based early-intervention provision for children and young people, to include play and creative arts therapy and counselling in addition to the autism, closed ward and clinical measures listed in the white paper; and if he will make a statement.

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make it his policy that the forthcoming reform of the 1983 Mental Health Act will include school and community-based early-intervention provision for children and young people to include play and creative arts therapy and counselling in addition to the autism, closed ward and clinical measures listed in the white paper; and if he will make a statement.

Munira Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will ensure that the forthcoming reform of the Mental Health Act 1983 will include school and community-based early-intervention provision for children and young people to include play and creative arts therapy and counselling in addition to the autism, closed ward and clinical measures listed in the white paper on Reforming the Mental Health Act, published on 13 January 2021.

Gillian Keegan: The reforms to the Mental Health Act 1983 follow the recommendations made by the Independent Review of the Mental Health Act chaired by Sir Simon Wessely. However, school and community-based early intervention provision for children and young people fall outside the scope of these reforms. The provision of these services is a matter for local commissioners.We are improving early intervention provision for children and young people through the introduction of mental health support teams in schools and colleges. By 2022/23, we are on schedule for mental health support teams to support 25% of the country, increasing to 399 teams covering an estimated three million children and young people or approximately 35% of pupils by 2023/24.

Mental Health Services: Waiting Lists

Adam Afriyie: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the level of backlog maintenance has been in NHS mental health services in each of the last ten years (a) in total and (b) by category of risk.

Gillian Keegan: Information on backlog maintenance was not collected in the format requested prior to 2015/16. Since 2015/16, data has been categorised by site type, which allows an estimate of the level of backlog maintenance in the mental health estate. The attached table shows the level of backlog maintenance in total and by category of risk in sites categorised as ‘Mental Health’, ‘Mental Health (including Specialist services)’, ‘Learning Disabilities’ and ‘Mental Health and Learning Disabilities’.Level of backlog maintenance  (docx, 21.4KB)

Infectious Diseases: Disease Control

Ben Bradley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the Government has plans to renew the Infection Control Fund.

Gillian Keegan: There are no specific plans to renew the Infection Control and Testing Funds. The Government will continue to keep this under review based on public health advice and data from providers.

Disability: Children

Carla Lockhart: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many children have been diagnosed with Developmental co-ordination disorder (DCD) in each of the last five years; and what steps is the Government taking to invest in research on that condition.

Gillian Keegan: The information requested is not held centrally. The Department invests in research through the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR). The NIHR welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including developmental co-ordination disorder. While it is not usual practice to ring-fence funds for particular topics or conditions, applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition.

Domestic Violence: Mental Health Services

Dr Rupa Huq: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has been made of the adequacy (a) in the accessibility of specialist mental health services and (b) mental health training for those working with people impacted by domestic violence.

Gillian Keegan: We have made no specific assessment. The Department is working with NHS England and NHS Improvement to raise awareness and understanding of domestic violence and abuse among healthcare professionals and the appropriate actions to take when necessary.

Coronavirus Certificates

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, for what reason covid-19 certificates for (a) international travel and (b) domestic use are valid only for one month when a person has received all three recommended covid-19 vaccinations.

Maggie Throup: The NHS COVID Pass in digital and letter format for both domestic and international use is currently valid for 30 days to minimise fraud risk. Expiration dates for the NHS COVID Pass will be kept under review. The expiration date on the letter refers to the validity of the 2D barcode and not the validity of an individual’s vaccination status.

Care Homes: Visits

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if his Department will publish the clinical evidence used to create the latest version of the guidance on care home visiting, updated 24 February 2022.

Gillian Keegan: While there was no specific clinical evidence provided prior to the publication of the guidance published on 24 February, the update was based on advice from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA). Its advice recommended that:- the end of February was not an appropriate time to stand down isolation guidance in vulnerable settings. This advice was based on COVID-19 infection across vulnerable settings being severe, resulting in high numbers of hospitalisations and deaths in the past;- Prevalence remains high, the future epidemic trajectory unpredictable and the removal of restrictions will mean more residents/patients being newly exposed to infection. Furthermore, reinfection with Omicron is more common than with previous variants. The UKHSA has advised that changes in vulnerable settings should not be in lockstep but rather a step behind wider society given levels of community infection are a key risk in outbreaks;- The purpose of staying away from the setting or self-isolation of residents/patients is to protect vulnerable people in these settings from the risk of transmission of infection. Self-isolation and reduced contact are a standard public health intervention to prevent infection, which is especially important in closed settings with highly vulnerable people; and- Increased contact with COVID-19 positive individuals is more likely to lead to outbreaks, which can have severe impacts in vulnerable settings and on their ability to deliver a service. For all settings, this can mean a closure to all but emergency admissions and visiting (particularly impactful in care homes and prisons), cohorting of staff and residents/ patients resulting in reduced capacity, and areas of the service being shut, for example, wings in hospitals.

Armed Forces: Sexual Offences

Stephanie Peacock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to support survivors of military sexual assault who may be reluctant to seek support from veteran specific health initiatives out of fear of encountering the perpetrators.

Gillian Keegan: Sexual assault referral centres (SARCS) are available to all through the National Health Service, including survivors of military sexual assault and regardless of when the incident occurred. Centres are located across the country and offer specialist practical, medical and emotional support 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The service provides appropriate psychosocial support according to a person’s needs. Individuals can contact a SARC to make an appointment or an appointment can be made on their behalf, for example by a general practitioner, family member or friend.In addition, veterans disclosing sexual assault to a clinician may be referred to Op COURAGE: The Veterans Mental Health and Wellbeing Service, which provides a complete mental health pathway for veterans. Individuals accessing Op COURAGE will benefit from personalised care plans and tailored support to meet their needs.

Health Services: Special Educational Needs

Florence Eshalomi: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how the Government plans to hold (a) Integrated Care Boards and (b) other parts of the health service to account in the event that they fail to meet their legal duties in respect of provision of support to children with SEND and their families.

Gillian Keegan: The Care Quality Commission and Ofsted’s joint inspections of special educational needs and disability (SEND) services within integrated care system areas will provide an independent, external evaluation of a local area’s arrangements for children and young people with SEND. Where appropriate, recommendations can be made for improvements. These inspections of local areas will provide information to the Government on the effectiveness of service and enable action to be taken where necessary.Subject to the passage of the Health and Social Care Bill, NHS England will have powers of intervention where an integrated care board has failed, or is at risk of failing, to meet its statutory obligations with regards to children and young people with SEND.

Hearing Impairment: Telephone Services

Feryal Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of telephone services in England for d/Deaf people.

Feryal Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department is taking steps to improve telephone services in England for d/Deaf people.

Gillian Keegan: No specific assessment has been made. NHS England and NHS Improvement commissioned the North of England Commissioning Support Unit to carry out an independent review of commissioning arrangements for British Sign Language interpreting services. The review has now concluded and NHS England and NHS Improvement anticipate that the report will be published shortly. NHS England and NHS Improvement will work with all relevant stakeholders to implement the specific recommendations made in the report and ensure d/Deaf people are able to access National Health Service telephone services in England.NHS organisations and publicly funded social care providers in England must also comply with the Accessible Information Standard (AIS) to meet the communication needs of patients and carers with a disability, impairment or sensory loss. NHS England and NHS Improvement are currently reviewing the AIS and expect the updated standard to be published later in 2022.

Coronavirus: Blood Cancer

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what proportion of patients admitted to hospital with covid-19 have blood cancer or a blood disorder in the most recent period for which figures are available.

Maggie Throup: This information is not held in the format requested.

Hospitals

Dr Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the average number of patients awaiting discharge in each month since January 2020 was, by NHS Trust.

Dr Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will publish the number of days spent in hospital by people medically fit for discharge in each month since January 2020.

Edward Argar: This information is not held in the format requested. The delayed transfer of care data collection was paused in March 2020 to support the National Health Service response to COVID-19.Since 9 December 2021, NHS England and NHS Improvement have published data with daily figures of patients remaining in hospital who no longer meet the criteria to reside for inpatient care in acute hospitals in England. The attached table shows the average number of patients who did not meet the criteria to reside and were not discharged in each month from November 2021 to March 2022 by NHS trust.Table (docx, 36.6KB)

Coronavirus: York

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 4 April 2022 on Mortality Rates: Coronavirus, what specific observations he has made of the (a) infection, (b) hospitalisation and (c) mortality rates relating to covid-19 in York.

Maggie Throup: The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in York Upper Tier Local Authority was highest in January 2022 and has since declined. Data on COVID-19 hospitalisation rates in York is not available in the format requested. Since early 2021, deaths within 28 days of a positive COVID-19 test have remained low in York, averaging less than one death per day. This is consistent with England as a whole.

Exercise

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make it his policy to introduce a Daily Mile initiative for adults across the country.

Maggie Throup: The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport’s Sport Strategy will set out the Government's future ambitions to promote physical activity and sports. This may include opportunities such as Active Mile and other initiatives. The strategy will enable improvements in equity of access to and participation in sport and physical activity to improve health and reduce disparities. This will include workplace and active travel initiatives. The Better Health social marketing campaign will continue to provide digital resources, including those linked to walking/running particular distances such as ‘Couch to 5K’ and ‘Active 10’ and signpost adults to local opportunities.

Mortality Rates: Males

Esther McVey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to investigate excess deaths among males aged 15 to 19 in response to the ONS' finding that there had been a statistically significant increase in that number from 1 May to 24 December 2021.

Maggie Throup: The Office for Health Improvement and Disparities, in collaboration with the Office for National Statistics (ONS), investigated excess deaths in young people in 2021. On 22 March 2022, the ONS published ‘COVID-19 vaccination and mortality in young people during the coronavirus pandemic’, which reviewed the observation that more deaths were registered in England in 2021 for young people, compared with the average for the five years preceding the pandemic. The report is available at the following link:https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/healthandsocialcare/causesofdeath/articles/covid19vaccinationandmortalityinyoungpeopleduringthecoronaviruspandemic/2022-03-22The analysis confirmed more deaths were registered in young people aged 15 to 29 years old in England in 2021 than the average number registered in 2015 to 2019. There were 113 excess deaths in males and 66 excess deaths in females this age group in 2021. For males aged 15 to 19 years old, there were 72 excess deaths in 2021, compared with the average for 2015 to 2019. There is no evidence that these excess deaths were linked to COVID-19 vaccination and there was no increase in registrations of cardiac-related deaths. The excess death registrations in 2021 in those aged 15 to 29 years old were instead largely due to deaths from external causes and COVID-19.The increase in death registrations in 2021 followed a fall in 2020. It is likely that the excess in 2021 was influenced by the known disruption to the operation of coroners’ courts, particularly during spring 2020. For deaths of people aged 15 to 29 years old from all causes registered in 2021, 32% occurred in 2020. For this reason, the report also looked at deaths by the year in which they occurred. Deaths which occurred in 2020 increased for some causes, including accidental poisonings for males aged 15 to 24 years old. For deaths which occurred in 2021, this information is not yet available.

Antimicrobials: Drug Resistance

Carla Lockhart: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps the Government is taking to reduce deaths resulting from antimicrobial resistance.

Maggie Throup: In January 2019, the Government published its vision for antimicrobial resistance (AMR) to be contained and controlled by 2040. We committed to develop a series of five-year national action plans to tackle AMR. The first of these plans was published in 2019 and commits to reducing the need for and unintentional exposure to antimicrobials; optimise the use of antimicrobials; and invest in innovation, supply and access to antimicrobials. We are continuing to implement this plan with the aim of reducing bacterial AMR and the global burden of disease and deaths.

Tuberculosis

Carla Lockhart: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to raise awareness of the symptoms of tuberculosis in light of increased cases in the UK.

Maggie Throup: The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) and NHS England and NHS Improvement launched the ‘Tuberculosis (TB): action plan for England’ in July 2021, which aims to improve its prevention, detection and control. The UKHSA and NHS England and NHS Improvement are continuing to work with partners to raise awareness of TB among vulnerable communities and healthcare professionals, to ensure timely diagnoses and access to treatment. This includes professional training resources and webinars and updating the available public information.On World TB Day on 24 March, we highlighted to the public that a long-lasting cough and a fever may not solely be symptoms of COVID-19. With this national media coverage, resources were shared with partners and stakeholders for use at local and regional level.

Obesity: Children

Matt Western: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he plans to take to reduce childhood obesity.

Matt Western: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he plans to take to reduce adult obesity.

Maggie Throup: New regulations on calorie labelling for out of home food sold in large businesses, including restaurants, cafes and takeaways came into force on 6 April 2022. Further legislation on restrictions on the promotion and advertising of products high in fat, salt or sugar will come into effect in due course.  Through our reformulation programmes, we are ensuring that the food and drink available to consumers is healthier. The Soft Drinks Industry Levy has reduced sugar in the drinks within its scope by 43.7% since its introduction.

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of extending eligibility for a fourth dose of covid-19 vaccine to people who were previously classed as vulnerable in age brackets below 75 years old.

Maggie Throup: The primary aim of the spring COVID-19 vaccination programme is to reduce the risk of severe disease in the population. Evidence suggests that those aged 75 years old and over are at higher risk of severe illness and hospitalisation following infection by COVID-19. Based on an assessment of the available evidence, protection against severe disease after the first booster dose declines slowly, therefore this precautionary vaccination programme prioritises the most vulnerable groups.The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation considers the latest available data and reviews the vaccination programme in relation to the timing and benefit of any additional doses for public health.

Evusheld

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care,  what research the Government is commissioning to assess the efficacy of Evusheld against covid-19 variants; when data from that research will be available; and if he will make a statement.

Maggie Throup: The UK Health Security Agency is undertaking in vitro testing on Evusheld’s effectiveness against the Omicron variant. The timing of these results is dependent on the testing assays. When available, the data will inform any decisions on this treatment, including procurement.

Coronavirus: Chronic Illnesses

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the total number of (a) people who are at high risk of severe illness from covid-19 and (b) people in their households.

Maggie Throup: In England, it is estimated that the number of patients eligible for COVID-19 therapies in the community to reduce the risk of serious illness and hospitalisation, is more than 1.3 million people. No specific estimate on the number of people in these households has been made.

Coronavirus: Epidemiology

Feryal Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to identify new covid-19 variants at borders.

Maggie Throup: The UK Health Security Agency continues to undertake regular monitoring of United Kingdom and international genomic data to detect and characterise new variants. If a new variant is detected by surveillance systems, a risk assessment will be conducted to establish its severity, which will inform the level of response.

Health Hazards: Gun Sports

Mr David Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the impact on human health of the consumption of game containing lead shot; and if he will make a statement.

Maggie Throup: The issue of lead and lead shot has been assessed on several occasions by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) and Committee on the Toxicity of Chemicals in Food, Consumer Products and the Environment (COT). COT concluded that lead shot game is unlikely to be a significant source of lead exposure for most consumers, although it may be a significant contributor for frequent consumers.The FSA advises that high consumers of lead shot game should minimise consumption, especially of small game to reduce exposure to lead. This is particularly important for pregnant women, toddlers, children and women trying for a baby. Lead exposure from food, including from lead shot game, is kept under review by the FSA to ensure that advice and other measures in place remain protective for consumers.

Coronavirus: Medical Treatments

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will commit to making (a) Evusheld and (b) other preventative treatments available via the NHS for prophylactic use for people who are at high risk of severe illness from covid-19 as soon as possible.

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has to ensure that severely immunocompromised patients have access to Evusheld following the award of conditional marketing authorisation by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency; and what his timeframe is for the first patients to start to receive that treatment.

Maggie Throup: Evusheld was granted conditional marketing approval by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) on 17 March 2022. However, the positive trial data was published prior to the emergence of the Omicron variant and the MHRA’s approval has indicated uncertainty over the appropriate dose needed for protection against Omicron, for which there is no clinical data. Understanding the efficacy of Evusheld against the Omicron variant is necessary prior to any procurement or deployment. Whilst the UK Health Security Agency continues to test the efficacy of Evusheld against the Omicron variant, the Department and the National Health Service are also conducting reviews to identify appropriate patient cohorts and approaches to the potential deployment of pre-exposure prophylaxis.  This is in addition to continuous monitoring of alternative potential prophylactic therapies. Currently, immunocompromised patients are a priority cohort receiving novel effective COVID-19 treatments. Sotrovimab, a neutralising monoclonal antibody and antiviral drugs are available for patients who are at high risk of progression to severe COVID-19, hospitalisation or death.

Department for Education

Students: Finance

Sir Graham Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that Muslim students unable to access the traditional student finance system are able to access an alternative, faith-compliant method; and what his planned timetable is for such a system becoming fully operable.

Michelle Donelan: I refer my hon. Friend, the member for Altrincham and Sale West, to the answer I gave in response to question 129057.

Goldsmiths' College

Munira Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether he has had recent discussions with Goldsmiths University on protecting courses at that university on (a) Queer and (b) Black British history.

Michelle Donelan: My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, has not had discussions with Goldsmiths, University of London about the future of any of their courses. Higher Education providers in England are independent, autonomous bodies, responsible for the management of their own courses and curriculum.

Teachers: Coronavirus

Charlotte Nichols: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether his Department holds data on the number of teaching staff fined for breaking covid-19 related restrictions in the workplace.

Mr Robin Walker: The department does not hold information on the number of teaching staff fined for breaking COVID-19 related restrictions in the workplace.

Special Educational Needs

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, in the context of the SEND Review, whether parents will be able to seek a setting not specified on a local inclusion plan if they consider the specified settings were not suitable for their child.

Will Quince: The SEND Green Paper sets out proposals to establish a single national SEND and alternative provision system with national standards for provision, processes and systems delivered locally through local inclusion plans. The local inclusion plan will then set out how each area will meet the national standards.In order to support parents and carers to express an informed preference for a suitable placement, they will be provided with a tailored list of settings based on the local inclusion plan, including mainstream, specialist and independent, that are appropriate to meet the child or young person’s needs.In the rare instances where there are disagreements, our proposals seek to try and resolve issues earlier, including through mandatory mediation, to reduce the need for cases to escalate to the tribunal.

Schools: Industrial Health and Safety

Munira Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many schools his Department have referred to the Health and Safety Executive since 2015.

Mr Robin Walker: The Department for Education does not hold data on referrals made to the Health and Safety Executive.There is regular engagement between the department and the HSE in relation to general health and safety matters and when developing advice for schools.

Special Educational Needs

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, in the context of the SEND Review, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure digitised EHCP processes do not exclude people without easy access to digital services.

Will Quince: The department is consulting on a proposal to digitise the education, health and care (EHC) plan process with a new digital EHC plan template and a secure central location for parents, carers and professionals to upload key information, improving consistency and reducing the bureaucracy of the process. A digital EHC plan process will also allow for better data collection including anonymous tracking of progress made towards outcomes and analysis of trends in the prevalence of need, and the support and provision that is made available. We will work with parents and carers to make sure they can submit and access all the relevant information for producing, maintaining and reviewing the plan in a streamlined way that is easy to access and navigate. The department recognises some parents and families may not have access to digital services and we will accommodate for these circumstances, as we develop digitised processes for EHC plans, such that they are not excluded or disadvantaged.

Special Educational Needs

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, in the context of the SEND review, what oversight his Department will have of local inclusion plans, including how they are assessed and monitored.

Will Quince: The green paper sets out proposals for the department’s new regions group to take responsibility for holding local authorities and Multi-Academy Trusts to account for delivery for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) locally through new funding agreements between local government and the departmentThe department will support local authorities in the development and review of local inclusion plans to ensure that they are built on strong evidence, are forward-looking, have considered emerging trends and are coproduced with parents to inform effective local delivery. This extra layer of quality assurance will promote best practice and strengthen oversight of local authorities.To ensure the conditions set out in the funding agreements are met, the department will monitor ongoing delivery against local inclusion plans and where delivery is not in line with the national standards, the department will take action.

Academies: Multi-academy Trusts

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will confirm that he will not bring forward legislative proposals to compel schools to join multi-academy trusts.

Mr Robin Walker: The schools white paper set out a clear ambition for all schools to have joined, or be in the process of joining, strong trusts by 2030. Strong trusts act as a family of schools, enabling collaboration and the sharing of expertise.The policies the department sets out will remove the barriers preventing schools from benefiting from the support of a strong trust. This will ensure that all parts can contribute to building a single, coherent system.The department will engage with the sector on how best to achieve a fully trust-led system, where every school can benefit from the support of a strong multi-academy trust.

Primary Education: Sexual Harassment

Kate Osamor: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment his Department has made of the levels of misogyny and sexual harassment in primary schools.

Mr Robin Walker: Sexual abuse, sexual violence and sexual harassment in any form is unacceptable. It is essential that children are protected, and that allegations are dealt with appropriately.In March 2021, the former Secretary of State for Education commissioned Ofsted to undertake an immediate review of sexual abuse in schools and colleges, including primary schools. The review was published on 10 June 2021 and the department accepted the findings of the review in full, committing to go further than its recommendations.Harmful sexual behaviours exist on a continuum. It is, therefore, vital to stem and prevent misogyny and sexual harassment as early as possible, preventing the escalation of behaviours, and entrenchment of unacceptable views.For this reason, the department is developing further support to help build teachers’ confidence in educating on matters of sexual abuse and harassment. In March 2022, the department ran expert-led webinars on the subjects identified by teachers as most challenging to teach. Alongside this, the department is developing new non-statutory guidance for schools, covering specific topics mentioned by the Ofsted review. This will build on existing Relationships, Sex and Health Education guidance, providing more detail on when specific content regarding harassment and abuse should be taught. It will aid primary school teachers’ knowledge of what is appropriate to teach, and when.Additionally, the department has recently consulted on proposed changes to ‘Keeping Children Safe in Education’ (KCSIE) which includes embedding the standalone sexual violence and sexual harassment advice into KCSIE, to give it the prominence it deserves in statutory guidance. The consultation launched on 11 January 2022 and closed on 11 March 2022. Revised guidance will be published in May and come into force in September 2022. This strengthened guidance will better support schools to prevent abuse and appropriately respond when reported, specifically highlighting the importance of acknowledging and understanding the scale of harassment and abuse.In November and December 2021, the department held a series of events with statutory safeguarding partners and schools to identify emerging practice and barriers to effective working. This will form part of a broader piece of work to improve how teachers and professionals work together to support children and young people.In addition, the department is developing a new online hub for designated safeguarding leads (DSLs) to provide information/support for DSLs in schools and colleges. Resources will be co-developed with DSLs and subject matter experts.The department has also worked with the Home Office on developing and launching the Harmful Sexual Behaviour Support Service to assist professionals in identifying and tackling harmful sexual behaviours.

Parents: Education

Damien Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how the £50 million granted to parenting programmes in the Spending Review will be spent; and what proportion of that funding will be spent on (a) face-to-face services and (b) digital support.

Will Quince: On 2 April the department announced the 75 local authorities eligible to receive funding under the Family Hubs and Start for Life programme. This announcement can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/infants-children-and-families-to-benefit-from-boost-in-support.This programme, jointly overseen by the Department for Education and Department for Health and Social Care, includes the £50 million allocated for parenting programmes at the Spending Review. Officials are currently engaging with the nominated local authorities on programme design and further details will be announced in due course.

Special Educational Needs

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, which organisations his Department expect to sit on local SEND partnerships following the SEND review.

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will ensure that families of children with SEND will be included in local SEND partnerships, following the SEND Review.

Will Quince: In the SEND Green Paper, the department put forward proposals that local partnerships will bring together representatives across early years, schools, further education, alternative and specialist provision, in addition to health and care partners and other partners, including youth justice. The proposal is that the partnerships would be responsible for working with parents and carers to carry out an assessment of need and existing provision across their local area and produce a local inclusion plan.Co-production remains a fundamental principle of the SEND system and the department will continue to work with children and young people with SEND and their families at both national and local levels.The department will set out how these partnerships will work in more detail following the completion of the consultation, so that we can fully consider the views of children and young people, parents, carers, and others.

Children: Disability

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the finding in the report by the Disabled Children’s Partnership entitled Left Behind: 6 Months On, which found nearly 70 per cent of parent carers of disabled children have seen their physical health deteriorate as a result of lack of the right support, what steps he is taking to improve support for parent carers.

Will Quince: On 1 February 2022, the government launched its plan to level up the country so that every person can make the most of their abilities and succeed in life. For those children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), levelling up must be even more ambitious, which is why the department has recently announced an additional £45 million of investment over the next three years to support education settings, children and young people with SEND, and their families.The department is also improving access to short breaks and respite care for those who care for children with SEND, with funding of £30 million being made available over the next three years to set up more than 10,000 additional respite and short breaks placements for disabled children.We will also invest £82 million in a network of family hubs so more children, young people and their families can access wraparound support. These new projects will help to provide positive opportunities for disabled children and young people, whilst also supporting parents and carers with their caring responsibilities.In addition to statutory services, the department is providing £27.3 million to the Family Fund in the 2021/22 financial year to support over 60,000 families on low incomes raising children and young people with disabilities or serious illnesses. Grants can be used for a range of purposes, including family breaks.The department will continue to work to ensure the right support is in place for the parents and carers of disabled children.

Special Educational Needs: Extended Services

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether he has made an assessment of the adequacy of the availability of wraparound services for special educational needs children in educational settings.

Will Quince: Ensuring that all children and young people, without exception, have access to the right educational support, so that they can fulfil their potential and lead happy, healthy and productive adult lives is a priority for the government, and the department recognises the important role that wraparound childcare can play in providing this support.For this reason, we have outlined measures in the SEND Review: Right support, Right place that will help to create a more inclusive education system to ensure that children and young people with SEND thrive, details of which are available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/send-and-ap-green-paper-responding-to-the-consultation.The department does not hold a central register of wraparound providers from which an accurate assessment of wraparound services for children with SEND in educational settings can be made. However, all local authorities have a legal duty to ensure that there are sufficient childcare places, so far as is reasonably practicable, for working parents in their area for children aged 0-14, or up to 18 for disabled children.Local authorities must also publish and maintain a clear, accessible local offer of services to support children and young people with SEND and their families and keep education and care provision under review and consider if it is sufficient to meet the needs of children and young people with SEND in their area. Parents also have the right to request that the school their child attends considers establishing wraparound and/or holiday childcare if this is not already the case. More information about how to request wraparound childcare can be found here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/778997/Rights_to_request_guidance-2019.pdf.Other services may also be of help to parents of children with SEND concerned about access to childcare. Local Family Information Service can give advice on childcare providers in their area that may be able to accommodate specific childcare requirements. Relevant contact details can be found by using the childcare finder available here: http://finder.familyandchildcaretrust.org/kb5/fct/childcarefinder/home.page.Advice on services for disabled children can also be obtained from local information, advice and support services, the contact details for which can be obtained through the Information, Advice and Support Services Network available here: https://councilfordisabledchildren.org.uk/about-us-0/networks/information-advice-and-support-services-network.

Assessments: Coronavirus

Helen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what guidance his Department is providing to (a) parents and (b) schools on children who miss exams due to covid-19 infection.

Helen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether his Department has made an assessment of the impact of trends in the levels of covid-19 infections on the ability of students to take (a) GCSE and (b) A-Level examinations.

Mr Robin Walker: Exams and other formal assessments are the best way of judging students’ performance. By sitting exams, students have a fair chance to show their knowledge and understanding of a subject. The government is fully committed to exams going ahead this summer and does not expect that to change, except in the very unlikely case of a public health emergency which would prevent students being able to physically sit exams.If a student due to take their exams has tested positive for COVID-19 or is unwell with relevant symptoms, UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) guidance is clear that they should stay at home. The guidance is available to view here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/people-with-symptoms-of-a-respiratory-infection-including-covid-19#what-to-do-if-you-have-a-positive-covid-19-test-result. They should not attend examinations for the time-period recommended by UKHSA. This is 3 days for children and young people who are 18 years old and under, or 5 days for adults 19 and over. UKHSA guidance covers what to do if someone has symptoms of a respiratory infection at the end of this period.If someone is staying at home in line with UKHSA guidance, they are considered to have an acceptable reason for absence for the special consideration process. Their centre will provide them with a self-certification form which they or their parent/carer/guardian should complete. Provided they meet the criteria for special consideration, their grade can then be calculated based on the exams and assessments they have already completed, and the exams they complete once they recover.To address the risk of students missing all their exams, the exam boards have spaced out the exam timetable so that there are at least ten days between the first and last exam, with most subjects having more than 10 days and some quite substantially more. Exceptionally for this year, the Joint Council for Qualifications has confirmed that eligible students can access the special consideration process where they complete at least one whole component within the specification, rather than the usual requirement to cover at least 25% of the total assessment.In all cases, students, teachers, and schools should adhere to the guidance on living with COVID-19 and candidates are expected to attend their exams wherever possible, and school and college staff should encourage them to do so.

Home Education

Philip Dunne: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many children were recorded as being electively home-educated by local authorities in England in each of the last five years.

Philip Dunne: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many school attendance orders were issued by local authorities on electively home-educated children in England in each of the last five years.

Philip Dunne: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, in how many cases where school attendance orders were issued by local authorities in England on electively home-educated children did a court subsequently direct that the order should cease to be in force because it was found that the education was suitable in each of the last five years.

Philip Dunne: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether he plans to launch a public consultation on his proposal for a register of electively home-educated children when the draft legislation is published.

Philip Dunne: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will publish any independent accredited research undertaken or commissioned by his Department on the number of electively home-educated children who do not receive a suitable education.

Will Quince: The department does not currently collect data on numbers of home educated children or school attendance orders. Such data as is collected is held by local authorities. Parents are not required to register if they are home educating their children and, therefore, there is not a robust basis on which the department or independent accredited researchers can reliably collect statistics on home education.The department supports the right of parents to educate their children at home. Most do so with the best education of their child at the centre of their decision. The department is aware of increasing numbers of home educated children, which cannot be overlooked. For some parents, the child’s education is not the primary reason behind the decision to home educate, which can mean that some children are not being provided with a suitable education.Local authorities are under a duty to take action if it appears to them that the home education provided to a child is unsuitable. The department issued revised and strengthened guidance to local authorities in April 2019, setting out how they can exercise their powers in this regard. This guidance will be reviewed again in due course.The department remains committed to a form of local authority register for children not in school and we will legislate for it at the next suitable opportunity. The department have already consulted on proposals in the Children Not in School consultation, and their response to the consultation, published on 3 February 2022, reaffirmed this commitment to create local authority registers of children not attending registered independent or local authority- maintained schools, and to place a duty on local authorities to provide support for home-educating families (should they want it). Such duties will help local authorities undertake their existing duties, improve data on children in scope, as well as help safeguard all children who are in scope. In addition to the Children Not in school consultation, officials continue to engage with relevant stakeholders as we prepare for the next legislative opportunity. There are no immediate plans to commission, undertake or publish any independent accredited research on elective home education, for the reason noted above.

Special Educational Needs: Classroom Assistants

Munira Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what support his Department is providing to (a) special schools and (b) other specialist education settings on the recruitment of teaching assistants.

Mr Robin Walker: The government’s Teacher Vacancies Service is a free, national job listing service that is saving schools money and delivering quality candidates. This service can help schools to list vacancies for both permanent and fixed term teaching staff, including teaching assistants.Schools have the freedom to make their own decisions about the recruitment and use of teaching assistants. The school workforce census for the 2019/20 academic year showed there were 6,000 more teaching assistants than the previous year.In the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities and Alternative Provision Green Paper, the government committed to support schools and academy trusts on how to best use and train their teaching assistants.

Children: Social Services

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the Government's planned timetable is for (a) responding to and (b) implementing recommendations of the Children's social care market study final report by the Competition and Markets Authority.

Will Quince: Children’s social care in Northern Ireland is a devolved matter. The answer reflects the position in England.The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) launched a market study in March 2021 examining the lack of availability and increasing costs in children’s social care provision, including children’s homes and fostering agencies. The CMA examined concerns around high prices paid by local authorities and the inadequate supply of appropriate placements for children. Its interim report was published on 22 October and its full report, including recommendations, was published on 10 March 2022.The department welcomes the report and is carefully considering the CMA’s recommendations. At this point, the department is unable to comment on timeframes for implementation of the recommendations until we have fully considered the findings contained in the final report. However, the department commits to providing a response to the report within 90 days.

Primary Education: Free School Meals

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether his Department has plans to increase the allowance of universal infants free school meals to help tackle to effect of rising levels of inflation on the cost of food.

Will Quince: The department spends around £600 million per year ensuring around 1.3 million infants enjoy a free, healthy, and nutritious meal at lunchtime following the introduction of the universal infant free school meal policy in 2014. The per meal rate of £2.34 per child was increased in the 2020/21 financial year. The funding rate for the 2022/23 financial year will be published with the funding allocations in June. The department holds regular meetings with other government departments and with food industry representatives, covering a variety of issues including public sector food supplies. Schools are responsible for the provision of school meals and may enter individual contracts with suppliers and caterers to meet this duty. The department is confident that schools will continue providing pupils with nutritious school meals as required by the school food standards. The department routinely considers contingency arrangements and expect schools and catering companies supplying them to do the same.

Schools: Inspections

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many schools inspected between March 2020 and March 2022 were rated as inadequate by OFTSED.

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many schools in Birmingham inspected between March 2020 and March 2022 were rated as inadequate by OFSTED.

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the (a) extent to and (b) method by which the impact of the covid-19 outbreak has been factored in by OFSTED when conducting schools inspections.

Mr Robin Walker: These are matters for Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector, Amanda Spielman. I have asked her to write to you directly and a copy of her reply will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

Special Educational Needs: West Midlands

Stuart Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of the provision of services for children with special educational needs and disabilities in (a) Wolverhampton and (b) the West Midlands.

Will Quince: In Wolverhampton, Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission conducted a special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) inspection in September 2021. Inspectors identified six areas of significant weakness. As a result, Wolverhampton was required to produce and publish a Written Statement of Action (WSoA) which sets out how they intend to address these areas of concern. The WSoA is published on the local authority website.We are committed to supporting and monitoring progress of the identified areas for improvement and have put in place regular monitoring and challenge meetings with SEND advisers from the department and NHS England.In the West Midlands the SEND inspection framework assesses at a local authority level so there is no single assessment for West Midlands. However, as highlighted in the SEND and Alternative Provision Green Paper, there is inconsistency in the standard of services for children and young people with SEND and their parents in the West Midlands as there is across the country. The Green Paper, published on 29 March 2022, sets out a suite of proposed reforms that seek to create a coherent education, health and care system that works in the interests of all children in England and levels up opportunities.The department is providing opportunities for children, parents, carers and those working across the SEND system to provide feedback during the 13-week consultation period which runs to 1 July 2022.

Children's Play

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of mandating that schools increase ringfenced time for pupils to play at school to support their cognitive, physical and emotional development.

Kim Leadbeater: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of rolling out a minimum statutory playtime requirement for the school day.

Kim Leadbeater: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of updating the Ofsted education inspection framework to include quality of play in school evaluations.

Kim Leadbeater: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will add play to the ministerial responsibilities of the Children’s Minister in his Department.

Kim Leadbeater: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment his Department has made of the importance of school play for children’s mental health and emotional development.

Will Quince: The department has not made a specific assessment related to play in schools, but the government is clear about the importance of play to children and young people.The department recognises the important role lunchtime play and activities have in providing enriching activities which support children’s physical and mental health, as well as the development of skills and attitudes which promote their wellbeing. It can provide children with an opportunity to connect with peers, develop friendships, and be physically active, all of which may contribute to a range of outcomes including enjoyment of school, social development and learning.The department considers supporting access to play as part of what nurseries, schools and colleges can do to support the mental wellbeing and physical, social and emotional development of children and young people. We work closely with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and the Department of Health and Social Care counterparts on how that links into wider provision, opportunities and support for children and families.We think it is right that decisions on how to structure a school day, including ensuring opportunities for children to engage in play, should be made by schools. However, as set out in the department’s recently published Schools White Paper, we have set a minimum expectation on the length of the school week of 32.5 hours for all mainstream state-funded schools. This will provide pupils with increased opportunities for learning, socialisation with peers and enrichment activities including chance to play.Under Ofsted’s inspection framework, which took effect in September 2019, inspectors will look at how the curriculum is implemented through teaching and the wider experience of pupils in school. In the early years of education, Ofsted would expect play to be part of this. Inspectors would want to look at how the wide spectrum of play develops children’s communication skills, and demonstrates how behaviour is taught and managed, and how staff identity what a child needs to learn and how to learn it, either through explicit teaching or through play. When staff are clear on what children already know and can do, and what their next steps are, they can decide effectively on the teaching activities, including play, that will help children progress. Play should not, however, be evaluated separately, but as part of the curriculum, underling its role in supporting and embedding learning.

Multi-academy Trusts: Finance

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether his Department plans to allocate additional financial resources to local authorities to support the foundation of multi-academy trusts.

Mr Robin Walker: The department is committing up to £86 million in trust capacity funding over the next three years, focused particularly on Education Investment Areas including Portsmouth. Applications are open for the Trust Capacity Fund 2022/2023 to help trusts, and local authority maintained schools forming trusts, to develop their capacity to grow. Further information can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/apply-to-the-trust-capacity-fund. The Schools White Paper 2022 announced that local authorities will be able to establish new multi-academy trusts where too few strong trusts exist. Further details will be announced in due course.

Children: Body Searches

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions he has had with the Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel following the case of Child Q.

Will Quince: My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education has been clear that this is an unacceptable incident which should not have happened.My noble Friend, the Minister for the School System, Baroness Barran regularly meets with the Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel’s Chair to discuss a range of issues, cases and themes from serious incidents that have been brought to the department’s attention.The Secretary of State also meets regularly with the Chair to allow for the opportunity to talk about pertinent cases, such as Child Q.

National Union of Students

Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much grant funding has been allocated to the National Union for Students over the past five years.

Michelle Donelan: The department has not made any grant payments to the National Union for Students over the last five years.

Extended Services: Expenditure

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate his Department has made of the average cost of wraparound childcare for school age children during term time, per region, in each year since 2017.

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate his Department has made of the average cost of wraparound childcare for school age children during school holidays,  by region, in each year since 2017.

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment his Department has made of the impacts of inflation on wraparound childcare providers and the costs to parents and carers of childcare for school age children.

Will Quince: The Childcare Act 2006 places a duty on all local authorities to secure sufficient childcare, so far as is reasonably practicable, for working parents in their area for children aged 0-14, or up to 18 for disabled children. As the body responsible for the sufficiency of childcare provision locally, local authorities will have an interest in knowing about the current and future demand and supply of wraparound and holiday childcare, including the level of fees for wraparound and holiday childcare and the impact of inflation on those fees, and how that affects parents’ ability to access wraparound childcare.The department does not hold a central register of wraparound providers from which an accurate assessment of average costs, either nationally or regionally, for wraparound childcare for school aged children can be made, either during term time or holiday periods. However, since the onset of COVID-19, department officials have regularly met with three of the largest wraparound childcare providers in England, to understand the challenges the sector faces, and how these challenges affect parents and children using, or seeking to use, wrapround childcare.This engagement has included identifying changes to fees during COVID-19 restrictions and following the lifting of the restrictions for both term-time and holiday provision, and the perceived impact that these changes have had on parents using wraparound childcare. This work, alongside survey-based engagement with a broader range of smaller providers from across the county and ongoing work with local authorities, has helped to inform the department’s response to sufficiency concerns resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, and will inform future policy development to support local authorities to secure affordable and accessible wraparound childcare places for all those who need them.While the department does not currently hold statistical data on wraparound childcare costs, we will conduct a survey of approximately 6,000 parents of 0-14 year olds in the coming year to better understand their childcare needs. This will include establishing indicative costs paid by parents for a range of childcare providers for children up to the age of 14, on an annual basis.

Secure Accommodation

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what support children living in secure accommodation receive after they have been restrained; and how incidents of restraint are recorded by relevant authorities.

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what support his Department provides to children in secure accommodation after they have been restrained; and whether that same level of support is provided to children who have been restrained by secure transportation providers.

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether he plans to introduce (a) regulations and (b) mandatory data-gathering on the restraint of children during secure transportation equal to that for children restrained in secure accommodation.

Will Quince: All children’s homes, including secure children’s homes, are governed by the Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015. These have provisions around behaviour and restraint. The Regulations and quality standards require homes to have a behaviour management policy that focuses on establishing positive relationships with young people, encourages acceptable behaviour, and sets out acceptable restraint measures.There is a requirement for homes to record any incidents of restraint under Regulation 35 of the Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015, though central government does not collect any data on the use of restraint. The Regulations 2015, the guide to the children’s homes regulations, and the quality standards outline the types of support children receive from the home if they have been restrained. This includes, but is not limited to, the right to:See a medical professional if they request it.See or speak with an advocate directly via their pre-programmed phone in their rooms without having to ask staff.Contact others on their pre-programmed phone, including their social worker, the children’s commissioner, or Ofsted. There is also a requirement under Regulation 40 of the Regulations 2015 for the registered person to inform Ofsted of any incident in relation to a child that they consider to be serious. The department is clear that restraint is only permissible in a very narrow range of circumstances, as set out in Regulation 20, and must always be necessary and proportionate.In 2019, the government published guidance on reducing the need for restraint and restrictive intervention, available at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/812435/reducing-the-need-for-restraint-and-restrictive-intervention.pdf.Regarding the use of restraint during secure transportation, the registered person and relevant local authority (LA) have a responsibility to ensure that children are kept safe, and their welfare is promoted. If transportation is arranged by the LA who has responsibility for the child, then the care of the child would fall to them. Where LAs have contract arrangements with transport services, the department expects the same approach to the use of restraint to be applied.There is a review of the Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015 planned for the near future. The department will revisit guidance on the use of restraint and strengthen the law in this area if our findings prove this is necessary.

GCSE: West Midlands

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what support his Department plans to provide to schools in the West Midlands to help close the GCSE attainment gap with London as part of the Government white paper, Opportunity for all: strong schools with great teachers for your child.

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to his Department's research paper entitled Infographics for GCSEs, 2021, published on 12 August 2021, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the data showing that 63.8 per cent of pupils in the West Midlands achieved grades 4 or C and above in 2019 while 70.6 per cent of pupils in London achieved those grades that year.

Mr Robin Walker: Between 2011 and 2019, the attainment gap between disadvantaged children and their more advantaged peers narrowed 13% at key stage 2 and 9% at key stage 4. However, the department is aware that even before the pandemic there was still further to go. The department recognises the attainment gap that persists between vulnerable and disadvantaged pupils compared to their peers. The Schools White Paper sets out the department’s long-term vision for a school system that helps every child to fulfil their potential by ensuring that they receive the right support, in the right place, at the right time – founded on achieving world-class literacy and numeracy.The Schools White Paper sets out two ambitions for 2030:90% of primary school children will achieve the expected standard in reading, writing and maths, and the percentage of children meeting the expected standard in the worst performing areas will have increased by a third.In secondary schools, the national GCSE average grade in both English language and in maths will increase from 4.5 in 2019 to 5 by 2030.The department aims to build capacity where it is needed most, and the government’s Levelling Up White Paper identified 55 Education Investment Areas (EIAs), where efforts will focus on driving school improvement. This includes building trust capacity, using part of the £86 million the department has committed to investing in trust capacity over the next three years. Additionally, schools in EIAs that have been judged less than Good in two or more successive Ofsted inspections could be moved into strong trusts to help drive up standards. The department is currently consulting on plans to support schools not making necessary improvements. Additionally, the Levelling Up premium, worth up to £3,000 tax-free for eligible teachers working in disadvantaged schools, including in EIAs, will be used to tackle staffing issues. EIAs include one-third of local authorities in England where educational attainment is currently weakest, and there are five EIAs in the West Midlands.More recently, in the Schools White Paper, the department announced a subset of 24 Priority EIAs, where more intensive investment and support will be provided to address entrenched underperformance. This includes Sandwell, Stoke-on-Trent, and Walsall which were selected due to particularly low attainment and high rates of disadvantage. Priority EIAs will have access to a share of approximately £40 million to address specific local needs with bespoke interventions, a multi academy trust CEO development programme and comprehensive support for digital connectivity through Connect the Classroom. They will also have priority access to other Department for Education programmes, such as bids for new free schools.

Pre-school Education: Finance

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the finding by the National Day Nurseries Association that £55 million of early years funding was unspent or allocated to other budgets in 2020-2021, what assessment his Department has made of the implications of that finding for his spending on early years education; and if he will commit to (a) reviewing the funding of early education and childcare and (b) ensuring that funding follows the child it was intended to support.

Will Quince: The department has spent over £3.5 billion in each of the past three years on our early education entitlements and the government will continue to support families with their childcare costs.The Early Years National Funding Formula (EYNFF) has been designed to allocate our record investment in early years (EY) entitlement funding fairly and transparently across the country. The department will continue to review the data underpinning the formula.Local authorities can set aside contingency funding as part of their local budgetary process to help manage fluctuations in take-up. The amount of contingency funding set aside within local EY budgets has reduced year on year since the introduction of the EYNFF in 2017. Nationally, this accounted for less than 1% of the budget for the EY entitlements in the 2021/22 financial year.Any underspend from a local authority’s EY budget is carried forward to the next financial year and must remain within the education budget. Funding allocations for local authorities for the EY entitlements in financial year 2020-21 (the same period as covered in the National Day Nurseries Association report) can be found here: https://skillsfunding.service.gov.uk/view-latest-funding/national-funding-allocations/DSG/2020-to-2021.The downward adjustment between the March 2021 and November 2021 updates reflects a demographic dip in the number of children eligible for the entitlements based on January 2021 census data.

School Day

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent estimate he has made of the number of schools that offer a 32.5 hour week.

Mr Robin Walker: The department’s review of time in schools found that the average mainstream school day is 6 hours and 30 minutes, which equates to a 32.5 hour week. The review is available to view here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/review-of-time-in-school-and-16-to-19-settings. This data draws on the COVID-19 School Snapshot Panel Findings from the July 2021 survey, which found that 14% of schools reported delivering a school week of less than 32 hours, available to view here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1027725/School_Snapshot_Panel_July_Wave_Report.pdf.On 28 March 2022, the government announced in the Schools White Paper, 'Opportunity for all: strong schools with great teachers for your child', an expectation that all state-funded mainstream schools should deliver a school week of at least 32.5 hours by September 2023. The White Paper is available to view here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/opportunity-for-all-strong-schools-with-great-teachers-for-your-child. More information can be found in the information note that was published alongside the White Paper: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/length-of-the-school-week-minimum-expectation.

Schools: Parents

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the Schools White Paper, what estimate he has made of the number of schools that undertake the Parent Pledge.

Mr Robin Walker: The department’s Parent Pledge announced in the Schools White Paper aims to ensure that all children receive the right support in the right place, at the right time, based on their need.Parents can be confident that every child who is behind in English and maths will receive the evidence-based, targeted support they need to help them get back on track. This can take the form of additional one-to-one maths tuition, or more time with their teacher practising their reading. This still means access to high-quality teaching and a strong curriculum for all children.The very best schools and trusts in the system already do this as a matter of course. However, for many schools, this will be an important and significant shift. The department’s intention is to lock in this best practice in all schools so that all pupils benefit. Ofsted’s recently strengthened inspection framework, with its emphasis on how schools help all pupils to succeed, will ensure that there is strong accountability for delivering this in all schools.By Autumn 2021, primary pupils were on average around 0.8 months behind where the department would expect them to be in reading and around 1.9 months behind in maths. There is some recovery since the Summer term, where pupils were 0.9 months behind in reading and 2.8 months behind in maths. Secondary pupils in KS3 were on average 2.4 months behind in reading, with some further losses since the Summer where pupils were on average 1.8 months behind.Since Spring 2021, evidence suggests primary pupils have recovered around two thirds of progress lost due to the COVID-19 pandemic in reading and around half of progress lost in maths.The department will support schools to deliver against the pledge. As part of our response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the department has already invested nearly £5 billion, including £3 billion in targeted support to help those children worst affected by COVID-19, with a commitment to deliver up to 100 million tutoring hours for 5 to 19-year-olds.New guidance developed by the Standards and Testing Agency, working with Ofsted and the sector, will support schools to determine who is behind, and decide how curriculum, teaching, and targeted support can best be used to respond to this. Additionally, new guidance on reporting progress to parents will support schools in keeping parents informed and engaged, bringing reporting practice up to the standard of the best schools and trusts.

Energy: Billing

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions officials in his Department have had with representatives of (a) higher education institutions and (b) student unions on the availability of support for students with energy bills.

Michelle Donelan: Up-front loans are available as a contribution towards students’ living costs while attending university with the most support available for students from the lowest income backgrounds.Maximum grants and loans for living costs were increased by 3.1% this academic year, and we have announced that they will increase by a further 2.3% next year, the largest ever amounts of support in cash terms. In addition, we are freezing maximum tuition fees for 2022/23, 2023/24 and 2024/25 academic years. By 2024/25, maximum fees will have been frozen for seven years.The government recognises many households will need support to deal with rising energy costs, which are being affected by global factors and has therefore announced a package of support to help households with rising energy bills, worth £9.1 billion in the 2022/23 financial year.This includes a £200 discount on energy bills this Autumn for domestic electricity customers in Great Britain which will be paid back automatically over the next five years and a £150 non-repayable Council Tax Rebate payment for all households that are liable for Council Tax in Bands A-D in England.The government is also making available discretionary funding of £144 million to be provided to support vulnerable people and individuals on low incomes.Many providers have hardship funds that students can apply to for assistance should individuals’ finances be affected in the 2021/22 academic year.Grant funding to the Office for Students (OfS) for the 2021/22 financial year included an allocation of £5 million to HE providers in England in order to provide additional support for student hardship.In our guidance to the OfS on funding for the 2021/22 financial year we made clear that the OfS should protect the £256 million allocation for the student premiums to support disadvantaged students and those that need additional help. The 2022/23 financial year guidance to the OfS confirms universities will continue to be able to support students in hardship through the student premium. Ministers’ Strategic Priorities Grant guidance letter to the OfS asks that the OfS looks to protect the student premium in cash terms for the 2022/23 financial year.Advice is available from providers and from other sources online to help students manage their money while they are attending their courses.

Apprentices

Andrew Lewer: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when will the Education and Skills Funding Agency provide an update on plans to refresh the cap on the number of new apprentices that a non-levy paying employer can take on.

Alex Burghart: The government recognises the important role that non-levy paying employers play in creating high-quality apprenticeship opportunities, particularly for young people and those in disadvantaged areas.To support apprenticeships for all employers, the department is increasing funding for apprenticeships in England to £2.7 billion by the 2024/25 financial year. Non-levy paying employers can continue to reserve funding for 95% of apprenticeship training and assessment costs.Since 1 April 2021, all small-medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) have been able to reserve funding for up to 10 new apprenticeship starts. Employers can continue to make reservations into the 2022/23 financial year up to the maximum of 10.Reservations levels for employers who do not pay the apprenticeship levy are kept under review to ensure that this level is still sufficient to allow SMEs to use apprenticeships to support their business.Non-levy paying employers can also access apprenticeship funding via transferred funds from levy-paying organisations. The department has made it easier for employers to benefit from levy transfers through a new ‘pledge and transfer’ online service. It is encouraging to see that over 145 employers, including Amazon UK, DPD and HomeServe, have pledged to transfer almost £9 million to support new apprenticeship starts in businesses of all sizes.

Medicine: Training

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues about establishing a scheme to allow medical students from Ukraine to be placed at UK universities to complete their studies.

Michelle Donelan: Universities in Ukraine are striving to maintain the education of their students under extremely challenging conditions. We are working closely with the Medical Schools Council and the Council of Deans of Health who are liaising with universities in Ukraine to help ensure online learning materials are available to medical students to continue their education remotely, which may be particularly beneficial for students who are nearing the end of their course.Universities in England are autonomous and responsible for their own admissions however I have urged higher education providers to look at how they can support students returning from Ukraine to continue their studies in the UK and show as much flexibility as possible.Individuals will need to consider their own circumstances and what is right for them. Students who wish to explore their options with higher education providers in England should engage in conversations with their preferred provider to understand the full range of options available specifically to them. This may include restarting their course or studying related courses in the biological sciences or subjects allied to medicine.

Ministry of Justice

Personation: Prosecutions

Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what data his Department holds on the number of successful prosecutions for identity fraud in each of the last five years.

James Cartlidge: The number of prosecutions for identity fraud cannot be identified separately from broader fraud offences in data held centrally and published here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1063892/HO-code-tool-principal-offence-2020-revised.xlsx.Information on identity fraud may be held on court records, but to be able to identify these cases would require examining individual court transcripts which would be of disproportionate cost.

Pre-sentence Reports

Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what data his Department holds on the number of pre-sentence reports requested by the judiciary in each year since 2015.

Kit Malthouse: Data for this is available using the figures published in table 4.24 of the Offender Management Statistics Quarterly bulletin, which can be found in the document linked below:https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/981217/Probation_2020.ods.While the decision of whether to order a pre-sentence report (PSR) is up to the discretion of the judiciary, we recognise their importance and are working to improve their quality, targeting and timeliness.The Department is leading on a pilot that is currently running in 15 magistrates’ courts across England and Wales. The pilot is encouraging the earlier identification of cases that would benefit from a PSR, and providing additional training and support to build the capacity of PSR writers to further improve the quality of their reports. The pilot also requires that short format written reports are produced for three priority cohorts generally understood to have more complex needs, namely female offenders, young adult offenders and offenders at risk of custody. Whilst the majority of these cases may need a more comprehensive report, that may result in probation requesting an adjournment, a screening tool has been introduced to ensure that the reports on these cohorts are proportionate to the complexity of the individual case, rather than a fuller report when it is not necessary.

Prisoners' Release

Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prisoners have been released from custodial sentences on a Friday in each of the last five years.

Kit Malthouse: Data showing how many prisoners have been released from custodial sentences on a Friday in each of the last five years can be viewed in table 1 below. Table 1: Releases from custodial sentences on a Friday, by year, 2016-2020, in England and Wales 20162017201820192020Friday Releases26,00725,07222,12320,57116,770Source: Prison NOMIS

Prisons: Drugs

Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what data his Department holds on the number of prisoners with substance abuse issues (a) before their entry into prison and (b) after their sentence finishes.

Victoria Atkins: We are committed to ensuring all those who need drug treatment in prison have access to a full range of treatment options, including abstinence-based interventions, to support a meaningful recovery from drug dependency.In 2011, responsibility for health services, including substance misuse treatment, in prisons transferred from the National Offender Management Service to NHS England. Data on the number of prisoners in treatment services is collected via the National Drug Treatment Monitoring System and can be obtained from the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities.Substance misuse treatment in secure settings: 2020 to 2021 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Family Proceedings

Derek Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what progress his Department has made on implementing the recommendations from its report of June 2020, Assessing Risk of Harm to Children and Parents in Private Law Children Cases; and what approach his Department plans to take on  to cases decided prior to full implementation of those recommendations.

James Cartlidge: We are making good progress against the commitments outlined in our Implementation Plan that was published alongside the ‘Assessing Risk of Harm to Children and Parents in Private Law Children Cases’ report.Changes were brought in as part of the Domestic Abuse Act 2021, including automatic eligibility for special measures in the Family Court, the prohibition of cross examination of victims by perpetrators or alleged perpetrators, and a clarification of the law on the use of section 91(14) orders in domestic abuse circumstances. The special measures provision is already in force and the remaining measures are expected to be commenced later this spring.We are currently undertaking a review into the presumption of parental involvement and its risk of harm exception, in private law children cases. The research for this review is expected to be complete by the end of the year. In February we launched the Integrated Domestic Abuse Court (IDAC) pilot to test a more investigative approach to private law proceedings in courts in Dorset and North Wales.On 26 March 2021, we launched the Family Mediation Voucher Scheme, which offers up to £500 towards eligible mediation cases, encouraging people to resolve their disputes outside of court where safe and appropriate to do so. We allocated £3.3m throughout the 2021-22 financial year, helping 6,726 families in the period to mediate on issues around their children. As of 24 April 2022, 7,916 vouchers have been distributed, and we will be making an official announcement on funding for the 2022-23 financial year shortly.

Ministry of Justice: Information Officers

Stuart C McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how much his Department spends on communications staff on average each year.

James Cartlidge: On average, expenditure on MoJ HQ communications staffing is £5.5m.

Prisoners

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of support available to prisoners serving Imprisonment for public protection sentences.

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of calls to retroactively abolish imprisonment for public protection sentences on a case-by-case basis.

Kit Malthouse: The Government’s long held view is that retrospectively abolishing the IPP sentence would give rise to an unacceptable risk to public protection as it could result in the immediate release of many offenders who have been assessed as unsafe for release by the Parole Board. Our primary responsibility is to protect the public, however, HMPPS remains committed to safely reducing the number of prisoners serving IPP sentences in custody. The IPP Action Plan, which is regularly reviewed and refreshed to ensure it targets activity in the right areas, remains the best means of achieving this. HMPPS continue to support all those still serving IPP sentences in custody by providing them with opportunities to show they can be safely released by the Parole Board and to help those serving the IPP sentence on licence in the community to work towards having their licence terminated. The Action Plan is working. As of 31st December 2021, there were 1,602 IPP prisoners who have never been released (whether because the offender has not yet served the minimum term of imprisonment or because the independent Parole Board has determined that their risk remains too high for them to be safely managed in the community). This marks significant progress as there were over 6,000 people in custody serving an IPP sentence at the peak.

Prison Sentences

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of recommendations to reduce the length of time before which people held under Imprisonment for Public Protection sentences are entitled to have their licence reviewed.

Kit Malthouse: The Government brought forward an amendment to the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts (PCSC) Bill to require the Secretary of State to refer all eligible Imprisonment for Public Protection (IPP) offenders to the Parole Board for consideration of licence termination. There are no current plans to change the length of time - 10 years - before which IPP offenders can be considered for licence termination. However, the Government keeps all aspects of the IPP sentence under constant review.

Oakhill Secure Training Centre

Anna McMorrin: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, on how many occasions in the 12 months ending 31 March 2022 an officer informed the director of Oakhill secure training centre of any abuse or impropriety.

Victoria Atkins: We are committed to ensuring the safety of all young people in the youth custody estate. If any member of staff at Oakhill Secure Training Centre has concerns about possible abuse they can report this via the Safeguarding Team, which works in co-operation with relevant statutory safeguarding partners. Referrals include not only incidents which occurred at the centre, but also any abuse relating to events outside of custody which a young person has felt able to disclose. In the period 1 April 2021 to 31 March 2022, 247 referrals were submitted to the Safeguarding Team in relation to alleged abuse, and all referrals are then appropriately investigated. The Director is informed of all referrals and is briefed on each incident.

Ministry of Justice: Training

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether staff in his Department working on proposals to reform the Human Rights Act 1998 have received training on the Social Model of Disability.

James Cartlidge: Officials working on the Government’s proposals to create a Bill of Rights have not received specific training on the Social Model of Disability, though they are aware of it and bore it in mind in their work on the Bill of Rights proposals. In accordance with our duties under the Equality Act 2010 and as a matter of policy we have considered the impact of these proposals on individuals sharing protected characteristics in order to give due regard to the Public Sector Equality Duty and will continue to do so as we develop our proposals. We have also conducted several disability-focused engagement sessions as part of our Bill of Rights consultation and will undertake a full equalities assessment ahead of our final proposals.

Sanctions: Russia

Johnny Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps the Solicitors Regulation Authority is taking to help ensure that (a) solicitors and (b) law firms are complying with sanctions imposed by the UK on Russia.

James Cartlidge: Under the framework established by the Legal Services Act 2007, the legal profession in England and Wales operates independently of the government. Regulation of legal services is independent of the professions and government.Lawyers are subject to significant anti-money laundering responsibilities and duties, as well as strict procedures when transacting with sanctioned individuals. Those individuals are required to obtain a license from the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation to make payments for legal services.The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) has put out guidance reminding solicitors of their professional obligations and legal requirements if they represent sanctioned individuals. The SRA Code of Conduct requires all regulated law firms to have appropriate policies in place to ensure compliance with sanctions legislation, including undertaking regular and appropriate checks of sanctions lists. The SRA is stepping up spot checks, focused on those firms who may be exposed to the Russian market, and investigations to monitor and enforce compliance. It has been in touch with all solicitors and firms to remind them directly of their obligations.Breaching the financial sanctions requirements can result in potential criminal prosecution or a fine. This is also the case where there is evidence of serious or repeated breaches of money laundering regulations. In the last four years, the SRA have prosecuted more than 60 such cases at the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal. These have resulted in a range of fines, as well as multiple solicitors having been struck off or suspended.Legal sector regulators are also coming together rapidly to look at what can be done to further improve the enforcement of the restrictions under the current sanction and anti-money laundering regime. The SRA has also recently consulted on increasing its internal fining powers, which could increase deterrence and enable it to resolve cases more quickly.

Judiciary: Political Impartiality

Andrew Percy: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to ensure political impartiality among magistrates and judges in judicial proceedings.

James Cartlidge: An independent and impartial judiciary is one of the cornerstones of the United Kingdom’s constitution and vital to the proper functioning of our democracy based on the rule of law. There is a statutory prohibition on salaried judges undertaking any kind of political activity or having ties with a political party. This prohibition includes holding political office. The Lord Chief Justice and the Senior President of Tribunals set out guidance for judicial conduct in the Guide to Judicial Conduct which applies to judges, coroners and magistrates. The basic principles guiding judicial conduct are judicial independence, impartiality and integrity and the Guide to Judicial Conduct explains that judges should avoid any appearance of political ties. As the judiciary is independent of government, it is not appropriate for the government to comment on the actions of a judge during a case. Complaints of judicial conduct may be referred to the independent Judicial Conduct Investigations Office (JCIO). What does and does not constitute a question of misconduct is for the JCIO to determine.

Treasury

Construction: VAT

Sally-Ann Hart: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether the DIY Self-Build Scheme allows an applicant to claim all VAT relief that is available to building contractors.

Lucy Frazer: The DIY Self-Build Scheme ensures that private self-builders are put in a similar VAT position as individuals who benefit from VAT zero rating when buying properties from commercial developers. The scheme allows self-builders to reclaim VAT on eligible building materials and some related services. Full details can be found in the notes to the DIY claim form 431NB which is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/vat-refunds-for-diy-housebuilders-claim-form-for-new-houses-vat431nb.

Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme: Gambling

Jim Shannon: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking to help ensure that gambling companies pay back any money incorrectly allocated by his covid-19 furlough policies.

Lucy Frazer: The Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme was available to any employer providing they met the eligibility criteria. HMRC designed the schemes to prevent fraud, both in the eligibility criteria and the claim process itself. HMRC also put in place a series of checks on claims before they were paid, so they blocked those that were highly indicative of criminal activity. However, the Government and HMRC always knew they could be attractive to fraudulent behaviour and are taking tough action to tackle this. Anyone who keeps grant money, despite knowing they were not entitled to it, faces having to repay up to double the amount they received, plus interest and potential criminal prosecution. Where claimants have made a genuine error, HMRC are supportive and reasonable in their approach to recovering overclaimed grants. Claimants are afforded the opportunity to put things right, without fear of sanctions. All compliance activity is risk based and HMRC do not focus on particular sectors.

Question

Darren Jones: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the Business, Energy and Industry Strategy Committee Select Committee hearing on 15 March 2022, for what reason HMRC was unable to provide banks with access to revenue data for companies applying for covid-related finance products.

Lucy Frazer: Jim Harra, Chief Executive and First Permanent Secretary of HMRC wrote to the Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Committee concerning HMRC’s data-sharing with banks on 24 March 2022: https://committees.parliament.uk/publications/9452/documents/161409/default/. HMRC has always stood ready to assist the banks to prevent and tackle fraud in the Covid-19 loan schemes. At no time has HMRC declined to share data for this purpose.

Taxation: Russia

Christine Jardine: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he has plans to remove non-domiciled tax status for Russians with close links to President Putin.

Lucy Frazer: As with all aspects of the tax system, the Government keeps policy surrounding tax residence under review as part of the Budget process.

Health and Social Care Levy

Alan Brown: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the potential revenue that will be (a) raised from the 1.25 per cent increase in National Insurance contributions and (b) allocated from that revenue to (i) Scotland, (ii) Wales and (iii) Northern Ireland in each year of this Parliament.

Lucy Frazer: In 2022-23, the Health and Social Care Levy takes the form of an increase to National Insurance contributions. From April 2023 onwards, the Health and Social Care Levy will be formally separated out from National Insurance. The most recent estimate of the net yield from the Levy is around £12 billion per year, as published at Autumn Budget 2021. A population share of receipts from the Levy will go to those responsible for health and social care in England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland, as with the existing NHS National Insurance contributions allocation. This investment will enable Governments across the UK to put health and social care services on a sustainable footing.

Corporation Tax

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether a disputes resolution mechanism agreed as part of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development’s BEPS 2.0 Pillar 2 proposals would be binding upon UK courts.

Lucy Frazer: The Government is delighted that more than 130 countries reached agreement on a Two-Pillar solution to the tax challenges arising from the digitalisation of the economy, on the 8 October 2021. As outlined in the October 2021 Statement, the OECD will seek to develop an implementation framework by the end of 2022 which will be designed to facilitate the co-ordinated implementation and administration of the GloBE Rules. Discussions on the implementation framework are ongoing and public input was recently sought on the issues that should be addressed as part of this work, including the question of whether mechanisms are needed to avoid the risk of double taxation: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/oecd-pillar-2-consultation-on-implementation.

Tax Allowances

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the report entitled The management of tax expenditures, published by the NAO on 14 February 2020, Session 2019-20, HC46, whether data on tax revenue lost through abuse and error for all tax expenditures is being gathered by HMRC and analysed to help prevent potential future abuses; and what steps he plans to take to ensure HMRC staff are fully trained on tackling those potential abuses and errors.

Lucy Frazer: HMRC has developed a detailed programme to understand the costs of tax reliefs and expenditures. They publish statistics on tax reliefs annually. HMRC have been developing the content of those statistics over the past 2 years, in line with Public Accounts Committee and National Audit Office recommendations. In the latest December 2021 publication, they published cost estimates for 220 out of 300 non-structural reliefs, up from 111 in Autumn 2019. HMRC estimates the tax gap, which is the difference between the amount of tax that should, in theory, be paid to HMRC, and what is actually paid. The UK tax gap is estimated to be 5.2 per cent of total theoretical tax liabilities (£34.8 billion) in the tax year 2019-20. Non-compliance with tax reliefs and expenditures contributes to the overall tax gap estimates. However, HMRC does not make a disaggregated estimate of the tax gap for tax reliefs and expenditures. HMRC’s tax gap estimates are official statistics produced in accordance with the UK Statistics Authority’s Code of Practice for Statistics. HMRC undertakes a wide range of compliance activity to collect or protect revenue as part of the commitment to narrow the tax gap. This includes collaborative compliance activity across specialist teams trained in tackling avoidance, evasion, and criminal attack. They have developed a professionalism programme with focused training, leading to increased criminal and civil fraud investigations.HMRC already has well established training schemes for its caseworkers, which include:The flagship Tax Specialist Programme, an intensive 3-year graduate-level programme equipping staff with the skills and knowledge needed for the most challenging compliance work.An 18-month programme for all other caseworkers managing tax compliance, which incorporates foundation skills and dedicated training ‘routeways’ for different tax regimes, consolidated by specialist on-the-job training within compliance teams. HMRC has also recently established a dedicated Central Training Unit (CTU) to embed compliance professional standards consistently from Day 1 for new recruits; the CTU is currently training over 3,000 new recruits.HMRC’s Fraud Investigation Service tackles the most serious fraud and organised criminal attacks against the Exchequer, using both criminal and civil investigations. Those officers who are authorised to undertake criminal investigations receive accredited training that reflects the standards expected within the Criminal Justice System.

Child Benefit

Martyn Day: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 24 March 2022 to Question HL6977, on Child Benefit, when HMRC plans to publish the findings of its customer research to explore child benefit claimants’ understanding of High Income Child Benefit Charge, benefits of claiming and the reasons why some do not make a claim.

Martyn Day: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of indexing the High Income Child Benefit Charge (HICBC) threshold in line with inflation in the context of the increase in the number of families opting out of receiving child benefit and the resultant reduction in tax revenue from that charge between the financial years 2013-14 and 2019-20.

Lucy Frazer: HMRC has undertaken customer research to explore child benefit claimants’ understanding of the High Income Child Benefit Charge (HIBIC), to help to support and guide their customers to understand and meet their liability for the charge. HMRC currently plans to publish the findings before Summer recess. The Government is committed to managing the public finances in a disciplined and responsible way by targeting support where it is most needed. The adjusted net income threshold of £50,000 used in the administration of HICBC only affects a small minority of those with comparatively high incomes. The Government therefore believes that the current threshold for HICBC remains the best option.

Research: Tax Allowances

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the report entitled The management of tax expenditures, published by the NAO on 14 February 2020, Session 2019-20, HC46, if he will make an assessment of the reasons that R&D expenditure credit was largely claimed by large companies.

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the report entitled The management of tax expenditures, published by the NAO on 14 February 2020, Session 2019-20, HC46, if he will make an assessment of the reasons for medium and small-scale companies not claiming the R&D expenditure credits they are entitled to.

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the report entitled The management of tax expenditures, published by the NAO on 14 February 2020, Session 2019-20, HC46, what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy on reducing the level of R&D tax relief abuse.

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the report entitled The management of tax expenditures, published by the NAO on 14 February 2020, Session 2019-20, HC46, if he will make an assessment of the reasons that costs exceeded forecasts by 50 percent or more for (a) R&D and (b) other expenditure credit.

Lucy Frazer: The Government offers two separate R&D tax reliefs: the Research and Development Expenditure Credit (RDEC) and an additional corporation tax deduction for Small and Medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Smaller companies generally claim for their R&D costs under the SME scheme, rather than RDEC, since the rates of relief under that scheme are more generous. In 2019-20, 76,225 SMEs claimed under that scheme, ten times more claims than a decade earlier. A company qualifies for the SME scheme if it has less than 500 employees with either an annual turnover under €100 million or a balance sheet under €86 million. Large companies can claim RDEC for costs incurred on R&D projects. RDEC replaced the large company scheme in April 2016. SMEs can also claim RDEC where they are performing R&D under contract from another company or where they have received a grant or subsidy for their R&D project. The Government is currently undertaking a review of R&D tax reliefs. The objectives of the review are to ensure the UK remains a competitive location for cutting edge research, that the reliefs continue to be fit for purpose, and that taxpayer money is effectively targeted. This review is considering reasons for why the cost of support for both the SME and RDEC schemes has increased substantially in recent years. The Government is concerned about abuse in the schemes and set out a comprehensive list of plans to tackle abuse of the R&D tax reliefs in November 2021. The Government is continuing the review on R&D tax credits and will consider further reforms ahead of the Autumn.

Fire Prevention: VAT

Dr Rupa Huq: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of removing VAT on (a) fire door sets and (b) work undertaken to fit those doors.

Lucy Frazer: The supply of fire safety equipment, under qualifying circumstances, is already eligible for VAT relief when provided alongside the construction and renovation of residential or charitable buildings. Although all taxes are kept under constant review, the Government has no plans to expand these reliefs further.

Uranium: Imports

Alan Brown: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what was the volume of uranium imports by country of origin in each year since 2000.

Lucy Frazer: HMRC is responsible for the collection and publication of data on imports and exports of goods to and from the UK. HMRC releases this information monthly, as a National Statistic called the Overseas Trade in Goods Statistics (OTS), which is available via their dedicated website: www.uktradeinfo.com. From this website, it is also possible to build your own data tables based upon bespoke search criteria: https://www.uktradeinfo.com/trade-data/ots-custom-table/. Uranium falls within commodity code chapter heading 2844: ‘radioactive chemical elements and radioactive isotopes (including the fissile or fertile chemical elements and isotopes) and their compounds; mixtures and residues containing these products’. The full Commodity code would depend on the specific compounds of the uranium. UK Imports, by country of origin, are only published from 2016 via the large bulk datasets available to download from here: https://www.uktradeinfo.com/trade-data/latest-bulk-datasets/. Data on uranium imported into the UK prior to 2016 is available on: www.uktradeinfo.com. This provides the country of dispatch, which means the country from which the goods were last exported before coming to the UK. This may be different from the country of origin. A table showing the volume of Uranium imported into the UK by Country of Origin from 2016-2022 is provided separately. Until 2022, Country of Origin was only collected via the Customs declaration for UK imports from Non-EU countries. In some cases, EU countries can be declared in the country of origin for movements of goods dispatched from Non-EU countries.Up until 2022, Trade in goods movements dispatched from EU countries were collected via the Intrastat Survey, which did not capture country of origin.

Audiobooks and Electronic Publishing: VAT

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of removing VAT on the sale of ebooks and audiobooks.

Lucy Frazer: At March Budget 2020, the Government announced the introduction of a zero rate of VAT on certain e-publications, including e-books, to support literacy and reading in all its forms and make it clear that e-books, e-newspapers, e-magazines, and academic e-journals are entitled to the same VAT treatment as their physical counterparts. The extension of the zero rate of VAT to e-publications was introduced to provide consistency of approach between certain physical and digital publications, to support reading and literacy in all its forms. Audiobooks are already taxed consistently at the standard rate in both physical and digital formats. In UK law, a book is deemed to be something that is read or looked at, a definition that does not include audio content in either digital or physical form. The Government keeps all taxes under review, including VAT, but there are no current plans to extend the VAT zero rate to audiobooks.

Aviation: Taxation

Fleur Anderson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether his Department has made an assessment of the (a) potential merits and (b) potential environmental and financial impact of implementing a frequent flyer levy.

Helen Whately: Air Passenger Duty (APD) is the UK’s principal tax on the aviation sector. The tax raised £3.6 billion in 2019-20 and its primary objective is to ensure that airlines make a fair contribution to the public finances. Last year, the Government consulted on aviation tax reform and as part of this sought views on whether a frequent flyer levy could replace APD as the principal tax on the aviation sector. In the responses received to the consultation, the Government received a wide range of views on a frequent flyer levy, which it considered carefully. Following the consultation, the Government published a response which outlined that it was minded to retain APD as the principal tax on the aviation sector, noting in particular continuing concerns around the possible administrative complexity of a frequent flyer levy and around data processing, handling and privacy. However, in its response to the consultation, the Government announced plans to introduce two new APD distance bands for both domestic and ultra-long-haul flights. The ultra-long haul band will see an additional £4 charged on top of the revised long-haul rate for flights greater than 5,500 miles - ensuring those who fly furthest, and have the greatest impact on emissions, incur the greatest duty. These changes are due to take effect from April 2023, allowing time for the industry to plan for the changes. More broadly, the Government has put in place a wide range of measures to support the decarbonisation of the aviation industry, including investment of £180 million to support the commercialisation of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) plants in the UK and the launch of the Jet Zero Council which is a partnership between industry, government and academia to drive the delivery of new technologies and find innovative ways to cut aviation emissions. Furthermore, the UK’s new Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) covers participants from the aviation, power and industrial sectors. It sets a total annual cap on greenhouse gases emitted by these sectors. It covers domestic flights within the UK and flights from the UK to the EEA.

Double Glazing: VAT

Chris Grayling: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, for what reason double glazing is not part of the package of energy improvements subject to zero VAT announced in his Spring Statement.

Lucy Frazer: The Chancellor announced at Spring Statement 2022 that the VAT relief for the installation of energy saving materials (ESMs) will be expanded in Great Britain. From 1 April 2022, complex eligibility conditions to access the relief have been removed and wind and water turbines have been reinstated as qualifying materials. Qualifying installations will also now benefit from a VAT zero-rate until April 2027. Overall, this represents an additional £280 million of support for investment in ESMs over the next 5 years. However, the VAT relief for ESMs was not extended to double glazing. While double glazing does have energy saving properties, it is already a popular means to improve the energy efficiency of one’s home. The English Housing Survey suggests that more than 85 per cent of properties in England are already fully double glazed: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/445440/EHS_Energy_efficiency_of_English_housing_2013.pdf. As such, providing tax relief as an additional incentive to install double glazing in one’s home would represent poor value for money.

Energy: Housing

Ben Lake: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of extending the time-limited zero-rate of VAT to the purchasing of certain types of energy saving materials by individuals looking to improve their homes for themselves.

Lucy Frazer: At Spring Statement 2022 the Chancellor announced that the VAT relief for the installation of energy saving materials (ESMs) would be expanded in Great Britain from 1 April 2022. The relief continues to apply to the installation, including materials and labour costs, of ESMs, rather than the purchase of the materials themselves. However, complex eligibility conditions, introduced in 2019 following an EU Court of Justice ruling, have been removed. Further to this, wind and water turbines have been reinstated as materials which qualify for the relief, and all qualifying installations will now also benefit from a temporary VAT zero-rate until April 2027. Overall, this represents an additional £280 million of support for investment in ESMs over the next 5 years, building on the £9.7 billion that the Government has committed to invest since March 2021 to increase the energy efficiency and decarbonisation of our homes and buildings. Targeting the VAT relief to professional installations ensures that Government support incentivises best practice in the choice and installation of ESMs. Going further would impose significant additional pressure on the public finances, to which VAT makes an important contribution.

Amazon: Taxation

Charlotte Nichols: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much tax revenue his Department received from Amazon in the financial year 2020-21.

Lucy Frazer: The administration of the tax system is a matter for HMRC. It would not be appropriate for Treasury Ministers to become involved in the administration of the tax system in specific cases.

Defibrillators: VAT

Gavin Newlands: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the potential cost to the Exchequer of exempting defibrillators from VAT liability.

Lucy Frazer: The Government provides support to aid the purchase of Automated External Defibrillators (AED) through VAT refunds on purchases made by local authorities and VAT reliefs for purchases made through voluntary contributions, where the AED is donated to eligible charities or the NHS. Otherwise, they attract the standard rate of VAT. Introducing any new VAT reliefs would come at a cost to the Exchequer and the Government has received over £50 billion worth of requests for relief from VAT since the EU referendum. Given this, there are no plans to change the current VAT treatment on defibrillators. However, the Government keeps all taxes under constant review.

Care Workers: Travel

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking to ensure that fuel remuneration for social care workers is in line with actual fuel costs; and whether he has plans to provide support to those workers for increased travel to work costs.

Helen Whately: Approved Mileage Allowance Payments (AMAPs) are used by employers to reimburse an employee’s expenses for business mileage in their private vehicle. The government sets AMAP rates to minimise administrative burdens. AMAPs aim to reflect running costs including fuel, servicing and depreciation. Depreciation is estimated to constitute the most significant proportion of the AMAPs. Employers are not required to use the AMAP rates. Instead, they can agree to reimburse the actual cost incurred, where individuals can provide evidence of the expenditure, without an Income Tax or National Insurance charge arising. The government also sets Advisory Fuel Rates (AFRs) and the Advisory Electric Rate (AER) which are used when an employer reimburses an employee for business travel in a company car, or when an employee reimburses an employer for the cost of fuel used for private travel. These rates are also advisory. The government keeps this policy under review.

Tax Avoidance

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the validity of open years within regards to the Loan Charge on (a) the ability of HMRC to recover unpaid tax, (b) the welfare of individuals affected by the Loan Charge and (c) the ability of individuals affected by the Loan Charge to repay designated sums without risking bankruptcy.

Lucy Frazer: The Government takes tax avoidance seriously. The Loan Charge was announced at Budget 2016 as part of a package of measures to tackle Disguised Remuneration (DR) tax avoidance. The forecast was last revised at Spring Statement 2022, with the latest estimated overall Exchequer yield of £3.4 billion for the entire package, which includes the Loan Charge. Individuals are personally responsible for paying the right tax under UK law. Where a taxpayer has outstanding tax on DR loans, HMRC is working to bring these cases to conclusion. However, HMRC is also committed to ensuring that anyone with concerns about paying what they owe has access to payment support options, including the ability to pay in instalments based on what they can afford and over any length of time needed. HMRC only petitions for bankruptcy as a last resort in a small minority of cases where all other avenues have been exhausted. The Government knows that some taxpayers need extra help to resolve their DR use at what can be a difficult time for them. All HMRC DR and Debt Management teams are trained to identify and support taxpayers who need extra help. HMRC also signposts organisations such as MIND and Samaritans to help support taxpayers who have mental health issues or who are demonstrating emotional distress. HMRC published the ‘HMRC issue briefing: settling disguised remuneration scheme use and/or paying the loan charge’ on 11 April 2022. This includes further information about support to help taxpayers settle their outstanding tax liabilities.

Treasury: Staff

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 4 April to Question 148086, whether the figures provided are for his immediate Department, or for his Department’s full group, including the Office of Budget Responsibility, National Infrastructure Commission, Government Internal Audit Agency, UK Government Investments and UK Debt Management Office.

Helen Whately: The figures previously provided are for the immediate Department and do not include the Office of Budget Responsibility, National Infrastructure Commission, Government Internal Audit Agency, UK Government Investments and UK Debt Management Office.

Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme

Sir Mike Penning: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many claims were excluded or rejected from the Government covid-19 furlough scheme; and if he will summarise the reasons for exclusion.

Lucy Frazer: The Government has been clear throughout the pandemic that HMRC should prioritise getting vital support to businesses and their employees. HMRC designed the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) to prevent fraud before any payments were made, in both how they set the eligibility criteria and the claim process itself. To qualify for CJRS, employers needed a Pay As You Earn scheme and to submit a Real Time Information (RTI) return. Additionally, for claims with 100 employees or more, employers were required to provide details of the individual employees’ wages. HMRC also put in place a series of checks on claims before they were paid, so they blocked those that were highly indicative of criminal activity. As a result, an estimated 21,500 ineligible claims for CJRS were automatically blocked from entering the claims process. In addition to those that were blocked, a further 3,500 claims for CJRS were rejected in 2020-21 as they showed indications of being linked to criminal activity. Further checks also included checking claim amounts against employment information already returned to HMRC and capping any excessive CJRS claims to the correct entitlement amount. Details of HMRC’s prepayment compliance activity for 2021-22 will be released in HMRC’s Annual Report and Accounts later this year. This will provide the information on blocked and rejected claims for 2021-22.

Hospitality Industry: VAT

Carla Lockhart: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential impact on the hospitality industry of ending the reduced rate of 12.5% VAT for the sector; and what steps he is taking to mitigate against any negative impact of his decision to remove this rate.

Lucy Frazer: The temporary reduced rate of VAT was introduced on 15 July 2020 to support the cash flow and viability of around 150,000 businesses and protect over 2.4 million jobs in the hospitality and tourism sectors. As announced at Spring Budget 2021, the Government extended the 5 per cent temporary reduced rate of VAT for the tourism and hospitality sectors until the end of September 2021. On 1 October 2021, a new reduced rate of 12.5 per cent was introduced for these goods and services to help ease affected businesses back to the standard rate. This relief ended on the 31 March 2022. The Government has been clear that the reduced rate of VAT for hospitality and tourism was a temporary measure designed to support the sectors that have been severely affected by COVID-19. It is appropriate that as restrictions are lifted and demand for goods and services in these sectors increases, the temporary tax reliefs are first reduced, and then removed, in order to rebuild and strengthen the public finances.

Cash Dispensing: Public Consultation

Fleur Anderson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, when he plans to publish the Access to Cash Consultation.

Fleur Anderson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what progress his Department is making on bringing forward legislative proposals to protect access to cash.

John Glen: The government recognises that cash remains an important part of daily life for millions of people across the UK, and remains committed to legislating to protect access to cash. From 1 July to 23 September last year, the government held the Access to Cash Consultation on proposals for new laws to make sure people only need to travel a reasonable distance to pay in or take out cash. The government’s proposals intend to support the continued use of cash in people’s daily lives and help to enable local businesses to continue accepting cash by ensuring they can access deposit facilities. The government received responses to the consultation from a broad range of respondents, including individuals, businesses, and charities. The government has carefully considered responses to the consultation and will set out next steps in due course.

Hospitality Industry and Tourism: VAT

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make it his policy to reduce the VAT rate for the hospitality and tourism sector to 5 per cent; and if he will make a statement.

Lucy Frazer: The temporary reduced rate of VAT was introduced on 15 July 2020 to support the cash flow and viability of around 150,000 businesses and protect over 2.4 million jobs in the hospitality and tourism sectors. As announced at Spring Budget 2021, the Government extended the 5 per cent temporary reduced rate of VAT for the tourism and hospitality sectors until the end of September 2021. On 1 October 2021, a new reduced rate of 12.5 per cent was introduced for these goods and services to help ease affected businesses back to the standard rate. This relief ended on the 31 March 2022. The Government has been clear that the reduced rate of VAT for hospitality and tourism was a temporary measure designed to support the sectors that have been severely affected by COVID-19. It is appropriate that as restrictions are lifted and demand for goods and services in these sectors increases, the temporary tax reliefs are first reduced, and then removed, in order to rebuild and strengthen the public finances.

Banks: Environment Protection

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the projected efficacy of Sustainability Disclosure Requirements in changing the behaviour of UK banks.

John Glen: The document ‘Greening Finance: A Roadmap to Sustainable Investing’ sets out an indicative pathway to introducing coordinated Sustainability Disclosure Requirements (SDR) across the economy. This set out our framework for greening the financial system in phases. The first is informing investors and consumers – addressing the information gaps in the market and ensuring a flow of decision-useful information on environmental sustainability from corporates to financial market participants, including banks. This is the main aim of SDR: to increase transparency for market participants to ensure they have the information they need to factor sustainability into their investment decisions. Phase two in the Roadmap is about acting on that information. The government set out its expectation that, as this information becomes available and develops over time, the UK’s pensions and investment sectors – asset managers, asset owners, and the service providers that support them – will have the data to act as effective and responsible stewards of capital.

Economic Growth

Steve McCabe: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the International Monetary Fund’s recent projection that the UK will have the slowest growing economy in the G7 in 2023.

Steve McCabe: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he plans to take to avert the International Monetary Fund’s recent projection that the UK will have the slowest growing economy in the G7 in 2023.

John Glen: The UK was the fastest growing economy in the G7 last year and the IMF forecasts show it will be the second fastest this year, behind Canada. Due to uncertainty partly caused by the war in Ukraine, global growth expectations were downgraded for 2022 and 2023. Overall, between 2019 and 2027, the UK is forecast to see the third highest growth in the G7, behind only Canada and the United States. The Government has already taken important steps to drive growth through the landmark capital uplift at Spending Review 2021, and plans to invest £20 billion per year in R&D by 2024-25. As set out in the Chancellor’s Mais lecture, and re-iterated at the Spring Statement 2022, to lift growth and productivity, the private sector needs to invest more, train more, and innovate more. The Government recognises it can support this aim by providing clarity and certainty over the long-term development of different aspects of the tax system. Accordingly, the Chancellor set out the Government’s Tax Plan at Spring Statement 2022. This sets out the Government’s commitment to boosting productivity and growth by creating the conditions for the private sector to invest more, train more and innovate more – fostering a new culture of enterprise around capital, people and ideas.

Financial Institutions: Ethnic Groups

Mr Steve Baker: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the report published by Lloyds Bank entitled Black. British. In Business & Proud, what steps he is taking to increase the confidence of the UK's Black business community in the banking and financial services sector.

Mr Steve Baker: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the report published by Lloyds Bank entitled Black. British. In Business & Proud, what steps he is taking to increase (a) cultural awareness and (b) Black representation in the banking sector.

Mr Steve Baker: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the report published by Lloyds Bank entitled Black. British. In Business & Proud, if he will take steps to work with the banking sector on creating a bespoke mentoring programme for Black-owned businesses.

John Glen: On 17 March, the Government published “Inclusive Britain” in response to the independent report by the Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities, setting out a ground-breaking action plan to tackle negative disparities, promote unity and build a fairer Britain for all. The Government has responded in detail to each of the Commission’s 24 recommendations from its report. In some cases, The Government’s response has gone further than the report envisaged, to ensure that our action plan is as wide-reaching as possible and builds a fairer and more inclusive society in the long-term. The Government is very supportive of the Race At Work Charter, which over 100 financial services firms have already signed up to. The Charter commits firms that sign up to take practical steps to tackle barriers that ethnic minority people face in recruitment and progression. We are also supporting entrepreneurs through the Start-Up Loans scheme, which offers businesses 12 months of free mentoring. Of all loans issued up to December 2021, 20% went to Asian people, Black people, or people from other Ethnic Minorities (excluding White minorities). At the end of December 2021, the programme had delivered more than 90,000 loans, providing more than £819m of funding to entrepreneurs.In March 2021, the Parker Review published statistics showing that significant progress has been made on improving ethnic diversity of UK boards, with 89 out of 100 FTSE 100 companies reporting they had appointed a director from a minority ethnic group. The Treasury remains committed to supporting individuals and businesses of all backgrounds to access the finance they need and continues to engage with the private sector and other government departments including BEIS and Cabinet Office on this important issue.

Manchester India Partnership: Finance

Navendu Mishra: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what support his Department has provided to the Manchester India Partnership.

John Glen: I am not aware of any direct HM Treasury support to the Manchester India Partnership, though I welcome regional investment partnerships like this, which support the government's levelling up agenda. The Government supports deepening trade and investment links between the UK and India and welcomes the close people-to-people ties between our two countries. We will continue to take steps to support this, including through Economic and Financial Dialogues.

Equitable Life Assurance Society: Compensation

Damien Moore: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether his Department has to provide further support to the victims of the Equitable Life scandal.

John Glen: The Equitable Life Payment Scheme closed to claims in 2015. There are no plans to reopen the Payment Scheme or review the £1.5 billion funding allocation previously made to it. Further guidance on the status of the Payment Scheme after closure is available at https://www.gov.uk/guidance/equitable-life-payment-scheme#closure-of-the-scheme.

Cash Dispensing: Greater Manchester

Navendu Mishra: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps his Department has taken to (a) protect access to free-to-use ATMs and (b) evaluate the impact of current access to ATMs in (i) Stockport and (ii) Greater Manchester.

John Glen: LINK (the scheme that runs the UK's largest ATM network) has commitments to protect the broad geographic spread of free-to-use ATMs and is held to account against these commitments by the Payment Systems Regulator. LINK has committed to protect free-to-use ATMs more than one kilometre away from the next nearest free ATM or Post Office, and free access to cash on high streets (where there is a cluster of five or more retailers) that do not have a free-to-use ATM or a Post Office counter within one kilometre. LINK publishes the total number of free-to-use ATMs across the UK. As of February 2022, LINK reported that there were around 41,000 free-to-use ATMs in the UK. LINK’s Monthly ATM Footprint Report also publishes information on the break down by constituency. From 1 July to 23 September last year, the government held the Access to Cash Consultation on proposals for new laws to make sure people only need to travel a reasonable distance to pay in or take out cash. These proposals include making the FCA the lead regulator for retail cash with responsibility for ensuring that cash access points provide reasonable access, reflecting factors such as cost for end users. The government will set out next steps following this consultation in due course.

Cash Dispensing: Public Consultation

Justin Madders: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 3 February 2022 to Question 113140 on Cash Dispensing: Public Consultation, whether the timetable has been finalised for responding to the Access to Cash Consultation which closed on 1 July 2021.

John Glen: The government recognises that cash remains an important part of daily life for millions of people across the UK, and remains committed to legislating to protect access to cash. From 1 July to 23 September last year, the government held the Access to Cash Consultation on proposals for new laws to make sure people only need to travel a reasonable distance to pay in or take out cash. The government’s proposals intend to support the continued use of cash in people’s daily lives and help to enable local businesses to continue accepting cash by ensuring they can access deposit facilities. The government received responses to the consultation from a broad range of respondents, including individuals, businesses, and charities. The government has carefully considered responses to the consultation and will set out next steps in due course.

NHS: Workplace Pensions

Drew Hendry: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that NHS staff who undertake overtime can avoid cliff edge tax arrangements for the taxation on their pensions as a result of the annual allowance taper.

John Glen: The Government is committed to ensuring that hard-working NHS staff do not find themselves reducing their work commitments due to the interaction between their pay, their pension, and the relevant tax regime. In April 2020, the Government raised the thresholds above which the tapered annual allowance applies by £90,000. As a result, no one with a net income before tax below £200,000 is now affected by the tapered annual allowance. In addition, the annual allowance only begins to taper down for individuals who also have total income (including pension accrual) above £240,000. It is estimated that these changes have taken up to 96% of GPs and up to 98% of NHS consultants outside the scope of the tapered annual allowance. These changes allow pension savers to build significant retirement savings tax free, while also ensuring that the highest earning pension savers do not receive a disproportionate benefit from pension tax relief.

Insurance: Poverty

Emma Hardy: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what progress he has made on bilateral consultations with representatives of the insurance industry with respect to financial inclusion following the meeting between the Financial Conduct Authority, his Department and the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries in December 2021 to discuss the report entitled The hidden risks of being poor: the poverty premium in insurance; and if he will make a statement.

Emma Hardy: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the report by Fair by Design and the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries entitled The hidden risks of being poor: the poverty premium in insurance.

Emma Hardy: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of Fair by Design and the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries' report, The hidden risks of being poor: the poverty premium in insurance.

John Glen: The Government wants to ensure that people, regardless of their background or income, have access to useful and affordable financial products and services. My officials and I continue to engage closely with both the FCA and the insurance sector, including on issues relating to the accessibility of insurance. It is important to note that there are also wider initiatives that low-income households will benefit from when accessing insurance. For example, from 1 January 2022, FCA rules for home and motor insurance now require insurers to offer renewing customers a price that is no higher than they would pay as a new customer.

Help to Buy Scheme

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many and what proportion of people with a Help to Buy ISA will be potentially impacted by the caps placed on that scheme.

John Glen: The Help to Buy: ISA scheme aims to help those struggling to save enough to get onto the housing ladder. As first-time buyers typically buy smaller (and therefore cheaper) first properties, the property price cap of £250,000 for those properties outside London (£450,000 within London) under the scheme therefore allows the Government to target support at the people the scheme is intended to help at this lower end of the market. The latest statistics show that since the scheme was launched in 2015, 460,567 property completions have been supported through the scheme with a mean property value of £175,680, compared to an average first-time buyer house price of £230,593. However, where prospective first-time buyers wish to buy a higher value property outside London, they have the option to transfer their savings to a Lifetime ISA (LISA) to benefit from the scheme’s higher property price cap of £450,000, or if they wish to withdraw their savings from their Help to Buy: ISA, they can do so without incurring any penalties. In addition to the Help to Buy: ISA and LISA, the Government has introduced a number of measures to support homeownership and help as many prospective homeowners as possible to meet their individual needs, including the Help to Buy: Equity Loan scheme, mortgage guarantee scheme, Shared Ownership schemes, and the First Home scheme. Each scheme has its own eligibility criteria and more information on each scheme can be found on the Own Your Home (HM Government) website: https://www.ownyourhome.gov.uk/

Charitable Donations: Ukraine

Rushanara Ali: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make it his policy to grant a general licence for humanitarian activities in Ukraine in order that charities are able to spend the money donated to them by the British public.

John Glen: The Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation (OFSI), in HM Treasury, does not accept applications for general licences, however OFSI prioritises specific licence applications made for humanitarian purposes to help ensure that funds can get to where they are needed most as quickly as possible. This includes applications to permit humanitarian activities in Ukraine, where there is specific provision in the regulations for OFSI to grant such licences. OFSI is proactively engaging with humanitarian organisations to understand their needs in delivering activities in Ukraine and will continue to closely monitor the situation.

Charitable Donations: Ukraine

Rushanara Ali: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation take to help ensure that money donated by the British people to the Disasters Emergences Committee appeal for Ukraine is able to reach vulnerable people inside Ukraine without being stopped by sanctions.

John Glen: The Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation (OFSI) prioritises licence applications made for humanitarian purposes to help ensure that funds can get to where they are needed most as quickly as possible. This includes applications to permit humanitarian activities in Ukraine, where there is specific provision in the regulations for OFSI to grant such licences. OFSI is proactively engaging with humanitarian organisations to understand their needs in delivering activities in Ukraine and will continue to closely monitor the situation.

Cash Dispensing

Jill Mortimer: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what his planned timetable is for bringing forward legislative proposals on protecting access to cash.

John Glen: The government recognises that cash remains an important part of daily life for millions of people across the UK, and remains committed to legislating to protect access to cash. From 1 July to 23 September last year, the government held the Access to Cash Consultation on proposals for new laws to make sure people only need to travel a reasonable distance to pay in or take out cash. The government’s proposals intend to support the continued use of cash in people’s daily lives and help to enable local businesses to continue accepting cash by ensuring they can access deposit facilities. The government received responses to the consultation from a broad range of respondents, including individuals, businesses, and charities. The government has carefully considered responses to the consultation and will set out next steps in due course.

Money

Adam Afriyie: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that people have (a) access to cash and (b) the ability to use cash.

John Glen: The government recognises that cash is an important part of daily life for millions of people across the UK, and remains committed to legislating to protect access to cash. As part of the Financial Services Act 2021, the government made legislative changes to support the widespread offering of cashback without a purchase by shops and other businesses. The government's view is that cashback without a purchase has the potential to be a valuable facility to cash users. From 1 July to 23 September last year, the government held the Access to Cash Consultation on further proposals for new laws to make sure people only need to travel a reasonable distance to pay in or take out cash. The government’s proposals intend to support the continued use of cash in people’s daily lives and help to enable local businesses to continue accepting cash by ensuring they can access deposit facilities. The government has carefully considered responses to the consultation and will set out next steps in due course. Following the government’s commitment to legislate, firms are working together through the Cash Action Group to develop new initiatives to provide shared services. The government welcomes the direction set by industry’s commitments at the end of last year and looks forward to seeing what results they deliver in protecting cash facilities for local communities across the UK.

UK Trade with EU: VAT

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what progress the Government has made in negotiations with the European Commission on the UK exclusion from conditions relating to fiscal representatives for the EU Import One Stop Shop scheme.

John Glen: Although the EU Commission has not been willing to progress a solution, the UK continues to press the Commission to take the necessary steps to exclude the UK from the requirements on fiscal representatives for the EU Import One Stop Shop scheme.

Bank Services: Fraud

Carla Lockhart: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps his Department is taking to (a) support vulnerable people when using banking services and (b) tackle fraud and scams perpetrated against those people.

John Glen: The Government is strongly committed to ensuring those with a characteristic of vulnerability have access to appropriate, useful and affordable financial products and services. The Government also works with industry to combat fraud and ensure members of the public have the information they need to spot a scam and stand up to fraudsters. The Government works closely together with regulators and stakeholders from the public, private and third sectors, to ensure that all consumers of financial services are appropriately protected. UK banks’ and building societies’ treatment of their customers is governed by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) in its Principles for Businesses. This includes a general requirement for firms to provide a prompt, efficient and fair service to all of their customers. The FCA’s Guidance for firms on the Fair Treatment of Vulnerable Customers requires that firms should understand what harms their customers are likely to be vulnerable to and ensure that customers in vulnerable circumstances receive the same fair treatment and outcomes as other customers. If a firm has doubts about a consumer’s ability to understand a product or service, suspects they do not have capacity to make decisions or that they are acting as a result of fraud or coercion, the firm should assess whether it should allow the consumer to proceed. It may be appropriate for firms to contact, or act on the instructions of, a family member, friend or other third party. The Government also recognises the actions of the financial services industry to help tackle fraud, including through investment in anti-fraud capabilities, the creation of a voluntary reimbursement Code, and the implementation of initiatives such as Confirmation of Payee. While we welcome these initiatives, it is clear that more needs to be done both to prevent these scams, and to ensure that victims are not left paying for fraud through no fault of their own.The Government therefore welcomed the Payment Systems Regulator’s recent consultation on Authorised Push Payment scams, which set out potential measures that could improve scam prevention and outcomes, including proposals to introduce mandatory requirements to reimburse victims. The Government has confirmed it intends to legislate to address any barriers regarding regulatory action regarding mandatory reimbursement when parliamentary time allows.

Financial Conduct Authority

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the Future Regulatory Framework Review, what assessment he has made of the potential impact on economic stability of proposals to introduce new statutory objectives of competitiveness and growth for the Financial Conduct Authority.

John Glen: The government intends to provide for a greater focus on growth and international competitiveness through the introduction of new secondary objectives for the PRA and the FCA.As the regulators take on additional responsibilities for determining the rules that financial services firms must follow, it is right that their objectives reflect the importance of the financial services sector as an engine of growth for the wider economy, and the need to support the future of the UK as a global financial centre.These new secondary objectives will complement the regulators’ existing objectives of ensuring that UK firms remain safe and sound, that the UK’s markets function well, that there is effective competition in the interests of consumers, and that consumers of financial services receive an appropriate degree of protection. The government has always been clear that the UK will remain a global leader in promoting high international standards, while ensuring that the financial services sector is delivering for businesses and consumers across the UK.

Safe Hands Plans: Insolvency

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the effect of Safe Hands Plans entering administration on members of the public with existing policies with the company.

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what support he is providing to members of the public whose funeral plans are with Safe Hands Plans.

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether his Department plans to introduce new regulations for funeral plan providers, in response to Safe Hands Plans entering administration in March 2022.

Drew Hendry: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of giving protection to funeral plan policy holders who have bought funeral plans from firms who might enter into administration before the change to the regulatory regime on 29 July 2022.

John Glen: In January 2021, the government legislated to bring all pre-paid funeral plan providers and intermediaries within the regulatory remit of the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). This means that by 29 July 2022 all funeral plan providers must be authorised by the FCA. Safe Hands Plans has recently gone into administration. I am aware that the current situation will be distressing for customers of Safe Hands and can assure you that the Treasury continues to monitor the implementation of regulation in this sector closely. While the FCA does not yet regulate funeral plan providers, it is currently supporting the industry and administrators to see if a longer-term solution is possible for Safe Hands’ customers. It is regrettable that bringing a previously unregulated sector into regulation – whatever form that may take – creates a possibility that some providers are not able to meet the threshold for authorisation. However, a well-regulated market should promote effective competition and drive better outcomes for consumers in the long-term. Where a provider is unable to obtain FCA authorisation because of underlying issues, it is important to understand that this is not an issue created by bringing the sector into regulation. Rather, bringing the sector into regulation exposes these unsustainable business models and prevents these problems from getting worse and impacting more consumers. The Government’s legislation has allowed for an 18-month transition period before the new regulatory regime comes fully into force on 29 July 2022. This transition period was intended to give existing providers sufficient time to prepare for the new regulatory requirements. The FCA’s guidance is clear that providers who are not seeking or not able to obtain authorisation should either transfer their existing plans to a provider which is seeking authorisation, or wind down in an orderly way before regulation starts.

Financial Services: Russia

Drew Hendry: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of banning all transactions denominated in the Russian Rouble by UK individuals and entities.

John Glen: We do not speculate on future sanctions, but have made clear that we will continue to ratchet up the pressure on Putin. In response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine we have announced an unprecedented package of sanctions. We have taken extensive action against the Russian banking sector, including designating almost all of Russia’s systemic banks and imposing financial restrictions against the Central Bank of Russia. This has the effect of preventing the majority of transactions between UK individuals and entities and the Russian financial sector, regardless of currency denomination.

Freezing of Assets: Sanctions

Layla Moran: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the Government intends to do with frozen assets of sanctioned individuals.

John Glen: The Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation (OFSI), part of HM Treasury, is the competent authority for financial sanctions in the UK and is responsible for monitoring asset freezes. When an asset freeze is imposed against an individual or entity, any funds or economic resources are to be frozen immediately by the person in possession or control of them. It Is prohibited to deal with the frozen funds or economic resources, belonging to or owned, held or controlled by a designated person, or to make funds or economic resources available, directly or indirectly to, or for the benefit of, a designated person. An asset freeze does not involve a change in ownership of the frozen funds or economic resources, nor are they confiscated or transferred to OFSI for safekeeping. Any release of frozen assets can only be accomplished legally with a licence from OFSI. The asset freeze will remain in place until the sanctions are lifted.

Freezing of Assets: Sanctions

Layla Moran: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the cost to the public purse is of maintaining frozen assets owned by individuals targeted under the Government’s Magnitsky sanctions regime.

John Glen: The Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation (OFSI), part of HM Treasury, is the competent authority for financial sanctions in the UK and is responsible for monitoring asset freezes. When an asset freeze is imposed against an individual or entity, any funds or economic resources are to be frozen immediately by the person in possession or control of them. It Is prohibited to deal with the frozen funds or economic resources, belonging to or owned, held or controlled by a designated person, or to make funds or economic resources available, directly or indirectly to, or for the benefit of, a designated person. An asset freeze does not involve a change in ownership of the frozen funds or economic resources, nor are they confiscated or transferred to OFSI for safekeeping. Any release of frozen assets can only be accomplished legally with a licence from OFSI. The asset freeze will remain in place until the sanctions are lifted.

Cost of Living: Debts

Steve McCabe: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the impact of the rising cost of living on levels of personal debt.

John Glen: The Government is committed to monitoring and understanding personal debt levels in the UK, including the impact of cost-of-living pressures, and help individuals access appropriate guidance and support if they need help to get their finances back on track. The Government monitors personal debt levels by working closely with the Money and Pensions Service (MaPS), the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and by engaging regularly with many other stakeholders on their research and findings. The FCA conducts a biennial Financial Lives Survey which provides a comprehensive insight into the finances of the UK population. MaPS monitors financial difficulty through an annual survey of 22,000 people. The results of MaPS’ latest Debt Need Survey were published on 23 February 2022.

Children: Day Care

Carla Lockhart: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many people have been registered for the tax-free childcare scheme in each of the last three years.

Mr Simon Clarke: Statistics relating to Tax-Free Childcare account usage are published quarterly in “Tax-Free Childcare Statistics” on the gov.uk website. The latest publication, containing information up to December 2021 is here:https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/tax-free-childcare-quarterly-statistics Table 7 of the publication shows the number of families, by Government Office Region, that have a Tax-Free Childcare account. The table below shows the number of accounts that are open, regardless of whether or not they have been used. Families with Open Tax-Free Childcare accounts: Region2018-192019-202020-21United Kingdom449,355614,730697,145England426,130570,020643,085North East18,20024,10027,340North West59,49579,94091,265Yorkshire and The Humber40,75054,81562,420East Midlands38,21551,33558,095West Midlands43,22057,91065,300East of England50,14067,13075,605London54,55073,23079,730South East74,66099,850113,600South West46,90061,70569,735Wales6,74513,70515,945Scotland9,70019,35524,435Northern Ireland3,2406,6458,805

Security Guards: Pay

Dr Rupa Huq: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent assessment he has made of the potential merits of increasing the minimum wage for licensed security workers.

Mr Simon Clarke: The minimum wage applies to all sectors of the UK economy, including the security industry. Each year, the independent Low Pay Commission (LPC) produces recommendations to the Government on the National Living and Minimum Wage rates. The LPC draws on labour market and pay analysis and stakeholder evidence from business, employee and academic communities when recommending rates. The Government has accepted the LPC’s recommendations on the main rates and on 1 April 2022, increased the NLW by 6.6% to £9.50 an hour for workers aged 23 and over. This is consistent with the Government’s target for the NLW to reach two-third of median earnings by 2024. We encourage employers to pay their workers more than the statutory minimum where they can afford to, but recognise the ability to do so will vary across businesses and sectors. It is for the individual employer to set wages, hours, and other such terms of employment.

Children: Day Care

Carla Lockhart: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the rising cost of childcare and cost of living pressures facing working families, whether he has plans to increase the level of support available through the tax-free childcare scheme.

Mr Simon Clarke: Tax Free Childcare is a generous scheme which provides financial support for working parents with their childcare costs. For every £8 parents pay into their childcare account, the government adds £2 up to a maximum of £2,000 in top up per year for each child aged up to 11, and up to £4,000 per disabled child until they’re 17. In addition, all three- and four-year-olds can access 15 hours of free childcare per week, regardless of circumstance. Eligible working parents of three- and four-year-olds can also access an additional 15 hours of free childcare per week, also known as 30 hours free childcare. Moreover, Universal Credit (UC) claimants are able to claim up to 85% of their childcare costs.  The Government has no plans to change the amount of top-up provided through Tax-Free Childcare (TFC).

Education: Northern Ireland

Stephen Farry: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will publish details of (a) the spending committed to the Fresh Start Agreement initiative for education in Northern Ireland and (b) associated projects, including (i) start date, (ii) funds committed and (iii) estimated date for completion.

Mr Simon Clarke: As part of the ‘Fresh Start’ agreement to facilitate the implementation of the Stormont House Agreement, the UK government committed up to £500 million capital funding to support shared and integrated education. The UK government is working closely with the Northern Ireland Executive to agree projects and, up to 2021-22, has provided £92 million. Further detail of funding provided to the Northern Ireland Executive for the ‘Fresh Start’ agreement can be found in the Block Grant Transparency, published online at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/block-grant-transparency-december-2021

Members: Correspondence

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, when he plans to respond to the letter dated 10 February 2022 from the hon. Member for West Lancashire regarding pay-per-mile road charging, reference ZA58897, which was transferred to his Department from the Department for Transport on 23 February 2022.

Helen Whately: I have responded to the hon. Member's correspondence.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

Israel: Occupied Territories

Mr David Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment her Department has made of the level of tensions in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories.

Mr David Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps she is taking to help prevent an escalation of violence in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories.

Mr David Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of the recent terrorist attacks in Israel.

Amanda Milling: We are appalled at the recent terror attacks in Israel and unequivocally condemn rocket attacks against Israel by militants in Gaza. We are also concerned by ongoing tensions across the West Bank and recent violence on Haram Al Sharif/Temple Mount.We urge all parties to work to de-escalate the situation, avoid provocative acts and respect the historic Status Quo, which provides the most appropriate means of managing access to holy sites. All religious sites must be treated with utmost respect. Officials in our Embassy in Tel Aviv and our Consulate General in Jerusalem have been engaging with the Israeli and Palestinian leadership to support them in restoring calm. We expressed our concerns and reiterated our call for calm at a UN Security Council emergency meeting on 19 April.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office: Travel

Sarah Olney: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how many (a) flights and (b) rail journeys staff in her Department undertook between London and Glasgow in each of the last three years.

Vicky Ford: FCDO staff travel between our offices in London and Glasgow on a regular and routine basis for their official duties. Where travel is unavoidable, all staff travelling within the UK and between England and Eurostar destinations should travel by train by default. Where necessary, UK domestic air travel is by exception only with approval granted by deputy director level or above.Domestic flight numbers and rail mileage are published annually within the FCDO Annual Report and Accounts (from page 57), more detailed data regarding specific journey numbers between London and Glasgow is not readily available as it could only be disaggregated with significant work/time.

Sri Lanka: Water

Dr Rupa Huq: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent representations she has made to her Sri Lankan counterpart on reports of poor water quality in north Sri Lanka.

Vicky Ford: The UK Government maintains regular contact with the Government of Sri Lanka on a wide range of environmental issues. The Minister for South Asia, Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon, discussed opportunities for joint cooperation on environmental protection during his visit to Sri Lanka in January. We are supporting Sri Lanka through the new 7 year Climate Action for a Resilient Asia (CARA) programme. We will continue to engage with the Sri Lankan authorities in support of improved environmental conditions, including support of clean water provisions.

Question

Grahame Morris: Whether she has had discussions with the Home Secretary on the potential impact of payment charges incurred by people seeking refugee status in the UK.

Amanda Milling: The FCDO works closely to support the Home Office and DLUHC on a range of migration and refugee issues. There are no fees for refugees applying for indefinite leave to remain in the UK.

Development Aid: Health Services

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the progress towards the implementation of her Department’s (a) Ending Preventable Deaths Approach Paper and (b) Health System Strengthening for Global Health Security and Universal Health Coverage position paper.

Amanda Milling: The FCDO is working with our partners and conducting global health engagement and diplomacy in line with the approaches set out in our papers. The Department is currently identifying supporting investments as part of the finalising of allocations for the next 3 financial years based on the Spending Review outcome, identifying ending preventable deaths (EPD) flagship countries as set out in the Approach Paper, and exploring ways of better supporting the FCDO network's EPD programming through technical assistance. The reduction of maternal, newborn and child mortality is one of two health indicators in the FCDO's Outcome Delivery Plan, which require internal quarterly reporting, and publication in FCDO's Annual Report and Accounts.

Jerusalem: Religious Buildings

Mr David Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what representations the Government has made to international counterparts on the protection of and respect for Holy places in Jerusalem.

Amanda Milling: The UK is committed to working with all parties across the Holy Land to ensure the safety and security of the holy sites and all who worship there. We discussed this issue with our likeminded partners at a UNSC emergency meeting on 19 April. Officials from the British Embassy Tel Aviv and British Consulate General in Jerusalem have made it clear the need to protect holy sites with local authorities.Respect for the historic status quo at the Holy Sites in Jerusalem is important at all times, especially during religious festivals. We encourage all parties to maintain calm, avoid provocation and uphold the status quo to ensure the safety and the security of the Al Haram Al Sharif / Temple Mount and all who worship there.

Gaza: Armed Conflict

Mr David Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions she has had with her international counterparts following recent missile strikes in Gaza.

Amanda Milling: We condemn in the strongest terms the firing of rockets by militants in Gaza into Israel over the past week and the threat such attacks pose. Israel has a legitimate right to self-defence, and the right to defend its citizens from attack. In doing so, it is vital that all actions are proportionate, in line with International Humanitarian Law, and make every effort to avoid civilian casualties.

Syria: War Crimes

Sir Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of the recent discovery of mass graves in Syria; and what assessment she has made of whether those graves amount to further evidence of war crimes committed by President Bashar al-Assad's regime during the civil war in that country.

Amanda Milling: Reports of mass graves in Syria are concerning and in line with what we know about Asad's repressive regime. Since 2011, Asad's regime, with backing from its allies, has deliberately undermined the pursuit of peace, committed war crimes and caused untold suffering for Syrians. That is why the Government supports efforts to pursue accountability for the most serious crimes committed in Syria, including through the UN Commission of Inquiry and the International Impartial and Independent Mechanism with which we signed an MoU in March this year. These bodies were established with the express purpose of inquiring into and investigating potential war crimes. We praise those in Syria who bring the crimes of the Asad regime to light.Through the Conflict Stability and Security Fund (CSSF) programming, the UK provides funding to the International Commission on Missing Persons (ICMP) to train first responders in Syria to safeguard forensic evidence at mass graves. We also use our position in the UNSC and leadership of Syria resolutions at the UNHRC to draw international attention to the human rights violations and abuses in Syria; we will continue to call for those violating international humanitarian law to be held accountable for their crimes.

Hong Kong: Human Rights

Matt Vickers: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to help support the human rights and freedoms of the people of Hong Kong.

Amanda Milling: We continue to make clear to mainland Chinese and Hong Kong authorities our strong opposition to the National Security Law, which is being used to curtail freedoms, punish dissent and shrink the space for opposition, free press and civil society.On 7 February, we and Media Freedom Coalition partners issued a statement calling out the Hong Kong authorities' suppression of human rights, freedom of speech and free flow and exchange of opinions and information that further undermine confidence in Hong Kong's international reputation.As set out in the latest Six-Monthly Report published on the 31 March, the UK will continue to speak out when China breaches its legally binding agreements and when it breaks its promises to the people of Hong Kong. We urge China to honour their international commitments, including the Sino-British Joint Declaration.

Religious Freedom: Gender

Ruth Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to help tackle forced (a) conversions and (b) marriages overseas relating to gender aspects of freedom of religion and belief.

Ruth Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent steps her Department has taken to help prevent forced religious conversions overseas.

Ruth Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the impact on women and girls from religious or belief minority backgrounds who also live in regimes where freedom of religion or belief can be violated.

Vicky Ford: The UK is committed to defending freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) for all, and we strongly condemn child, early and forced marriage and forced conversion of all women and girls. The Foreign Secretary has publicly committed to putting women and girls at the heart of foreign and development policy, this will be set out in the upcoming International Development Strategy and the upcoming Women and Girls Strategy, which will emphasise the importance of taking account of intersectionality and those facing multiple exclusions including on the basis of their ethnicity, religion or belief. In November 2021 the UK announced £18 million new funding to prevent child marriage, working through the United Nations Population Fund-Unicef Global Programme to End Child Marriage. This funding will strengthen laws and policies to support girls to access formal and informal education and tackle the harmful beliefs underlying child marriage.Bilaterally, Ministers and officials raise specific cases of concern about FoRB, women and girls' rights and gender equality with governments. For example, the UK Government has supported the Government of Pakistan in setting up eight child courts to provide child-sensitive justice to children who come in contact with the law, including victims of child abuse, trafficking and child marriage. Multilaterally, we work with international partners including the UN, G7, and other multilateral fora to promote FoRB and women and girls' rights. In 2020 and 2021, we continued to protect language on tackling the harmful practice of Child, Early and Forced Marriage by helping secure the adoption by consensus of relevant resolutions at the UN General Assembly and the Human Rights Council.

Development Aid

Claire Hanna: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if her Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of resetting the UK's official overseas aid budget at pre-covid-19 levels.

James Cleverly: The difficult decision to temporarily reduce Official Development Assistance spend from 0.7% of Gross National Income to 0.5%, was a necessary response to the economic impacts of the COVID19 pandemic. The UK economy faced the worst economic contraction in over 300 years. In 2020-21 our borrowing was the highest it has been outside of wartime. We will return to 0.7% when the UK's fiscal situation allows; when on a sustainable basis we are not borrowing to support day-to-day spending and when underlying debt is falling.

Refugees: Afghanistan

Margaret Ferrier: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether her Department held discussions with the Scottish Refugee Council in advance of the United Nations pledging summit on Afghanistan’s humanitarian crisis.

James Cleverly: UK officials regularly engage with NGOs, donor partners and financial institutions, including through round table discussions. Several NGOs were engaged in the run up to the UN Afghan Pledging Conference, particularly those working in humanitarian assistance and essential basic services in Afghanistan, however, this did not include the Scottish Refugee Council.

Hong Kong: Political Prisoners

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps she is taking to support political prisoners in Hong Kong who have British citizenship.

Amanda Milling: We do not comment on individual cases. However the support we can, and cannot, provide to British nationals abroad is set out in Support for British nationals abroad: A guide, available on GOV.UK (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/support-for-britishnationals-abroad-a-guide). The help we can provide to dual nationals will depend on the circumstances and the country of the other nationality agreeing to it.We continue to make clear to mainland Chinese and Hong Kong authorities our strong opposition to the National Security Law, which is being used to curtail freedoms, punish dissent and shrink the space for opposition, free press and civil society. As a co-signatory to the Joint Declaration, we will continue to stand up for the people of Hong Kong, to call out the violation of their rights and freedoms, and to hold China to their international obligations.

Pakistan: Development Aid

Mick Whitley: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether her Department has plans to review the amount of overseas aid spending allocated to Pakistan.

James Cleverly: Overseas Development Aid (ODA) funding to Pakistan has changed over the years to reflect Pakistan's lower middle-income status. The FCDO publishes details of ODA spending at the end of each reporting period. Work continues to finalise aid allocations for all countries for this year.

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment she has made of whether the G7 will meet its covid-19 vaccine donation target.

Amanda Milling: In our end of Presidency Report in December 2021, we recorded that G7 members had donated 770 million doses. As of 23 March, G7 members have donated 912 million doses through COVAX. This is more than the 870 million doses that G7 members agreed to make available by mid-2022. This figure does not include any doses that countries donated bilaterally.

Tunisia: Politics and Government

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she has made representations to President Kais Saied of Tunisia on his decisions to (a) dissolve the Tunisian Assembly of Representatives and (b) put MPs on trial for participating in a virtual meeting of parliament.

James Cleverly: The UK has expressed its views regarding the political situation in Tunisia, bilaterally and through statements on behalf of G7 Ambassadors. We engage regularly with representatives of the government in the country, most recently on 7 April when the British Ambassador to Tunisia met Foreign Minister Jerandi, and on 1 March when she called on Prime Minister Najla Bouden. The Minister for North Africa, Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon, also raised these issues during a meeting with the Tunisian Ambassador to London on 4 April.

Bahrain: Political Prisoners

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what diplomatic steps she is taking to help encourage the release of numerous political prisoners in Bahrain.

Amanda Milling: Officials and ministers regularly discuss human rights issues and individual cases with senior members of the Government of Bahrain, as well as with the independent human rights oversight bodies. The visit by Minister of State for South and Central Asia, UN and the Commonwealth, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad to Bahrain from 13-14 February was such an opportunity. We encourage those with concerns to raise them directly with the relevant oversight bodies.

Duaa Alwadaei

Brendan O'Hara: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether the British Ambassador to Bahrain will attend the 24 April 2022 sentencing of Duaa Alwadaei in Bahrain, the British-Bahraini wife of human rights defender, Sayed Ahmed Alwadaei.

Amanda Milling: Our Embassy in Bahrain is aware of Mrs Alwadaei's case and have been in touch to provide Consular support. We understand that the charges against her have now been dropped and her case has been closed.

Question

Mr John Whittingdale: What diplomatic steps her Department is taking to promote media freedom globally.

Vicky Ford: The UK is a longstanding champion of media freedom globally. We co-founded the Media Freedom Coalition, and continue to work with them, and partners to address the deteriorating global media freedom situation. We commend all journalists for their bravery in these unprecedented times.In Ukraine we are working with partners to support journalists, providing direct support to enable independent journalism to continue including for example security advice and facilitation of international monitoring (including of potential war crimes).

Mexico: Christianity

Cat Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she has made representations to her Mexican counterpart on the situation for Protestant Christian families in El Encanto village, Las Margaritas Municipality, Chiapas, who have been denied access to water, electricity and sewerage services for refusing to renounce their religion.

Vicky Ford: We are aware of the reports of protestant families in El Encanto village being denied access to services due to their religious beliefs. We raised the issue of freedom of religion or belief and the situation in Chiapas with the Mexican authorities. The UK is committed to defending freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) for all and promoting respect between different religious and non-religious communities. We continue to engage regularly with Mexican authorities at all levels to discuss and support a broad human rights agenda in Mexico. I discussed human rights with the Mexican minister for Multilateral Affairs and Human Rights on 2 March.

Question

Ruth Jones: What recent assessment she has made of the impact of the £4.6 billion reduction in overseas aid on women’s maternal health and children in the last year.

Amanda Milling: The impact of the pandemic on the UK economy forced us to take tough decisions. However, global health remains a priority and we continue to be a major investor.On 14 December 2021, we published the Ending Preventable Deaths of Mothers, Babies and Children Approach Paper: our strategy to strengthen countries’ own ability to deliver life-saving maternal, and child health services.

Question

Dr Rupa Huq: What diplomatic steps the Government is taking to help support a negotiated peace settlement in Yemen.

Amanda Milling: The UK continues to support the UN Special Envoy and coordinate closely with international and regional partners, including through Ministerial engagement. Minister Cleverly hosted a Quint meeting in January.In February the UK led negotiations on UNSCR 2624 imposing the arms embargo on the Houthi movement.We continue to urge all parties to engage constructively in UN-led negotiations to end the conflict and alleviate the humanitarian crisis.

Question

Robbie Moore: What recent discussions she has had with her international counterparts on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

James Cleverly: UK is leading the international campaign to rally support for Ukraine, condemn Russia’s invasion, debilitate the Russian economy, cripple Putin’s war machine and isolate Russia on the world stage. Since the invasion, the Foreign Secretary has used NATO and G7 meetings to push for more defensive and economic support for Ukraine and broader and deeper sanctions to ensure that Putin fails.

Question

Scott Benton: What recent discussions she has had with her G7 counterparts on strengthening European security.

James Cleverly: The UK has played a leading role alongside our G7 allies in driving the response to Putin’s brutal and unprovoked invasion of Ukraine.On 7 April, the Foreign Secretary met her G7 counterparts at the NATO Foreign Ministers meeting in Brussels. They reiterated our unwavering support for Ukraine, and our readiness to assist further, including providing weapons and financial assistance to support Ukraine in defending itself against Russian aggression.The Foreign Secretary will meet her G7 counterparts again in Germany next month.

Question

Damien Moore: What diplomatic steps her Department is taking to help strengthen links with Belgium and Luxembourg.

James Cleverly: The UK enjoys excellent diplomatic relations with both Belgium and Luxembourg.Tomorrow, I will travel to Brussels and meet with the Belgian Prime Minister’s National Security Adviser. We will discuss the situation in Ukraine and measures for strengthening our bi-lateral cooperation and meeting the PM's ambition set out in the 2021 Joint Declaration.The Economic Secretary to the Treasury met Luxembourg’s Finance Minister on 3 March 2022 to discuss our shared ambition to deepen financial services cooperation, particularly sustainable finance.We will continue to work closely with Luxembourg on shared concernsMy Noble Friend Lord Ahmad will chair a roundtable on PSVI on 24 May and Luxembourg will attend.

Question

Simon Jupp: What recent steps her Department has taken to increase humanitarian support to the Afghan people.

Andrew Jones: What steps she is taking to help support women and girls in Afghanistan.

James Cleverly: Last month we co-hosted a donor conference with the UN, Qatar and Germany. This raised over $2.4 billion for the UN’s humanitarian appeal.Ahead of the summit, the Foreign Secretary announced the UK’s pledge of £286 million for Afghanistan this financial year.The Foreign Secretary has committed to prioritising funding for women and girls. In Afghanistan, we will ensure at least 50% of those we reach with our aid should be women and girls.

Religious Freedom: Commonwealth

Kirsten Oswald: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the recent imprisonment of of Mubarak Bala in Nigeria, if she will (a) invite and (b) support the Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative to undertake an inquiry into the extent to which Commonwealth member states respect the right of their citizens to freedom of religion and belief.

Vicky Ford: The UK is committed to defending freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) for all, and promoting respect between different religious and non-religious communities. Promoting the right to FoRB is one of the UK's longstanding human rights priorities. Bilaterally, Ministers and officials regularly raise specific cases of concern, and do not shy away from challenging those we believe are not meeting their obligations, whether publicly or in private. For instance, since Mr Bala's sentence, the British High Commissioner has engaged with the Kano State Government and the President's Chief of Staff, to make clear the importance of Mr Bala being treated in full accordance with his human rights, the rule of law, and the Nigerian constitutional right to freedom of religion or belief.As an independent international non-governmental organisation, it is for the Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative to determine what work they undertake in line with their own strategic priorities.

Afghanistan: Refugees

Margaret Ferrier: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions she had with her Cabinet colleagues in advance of the United Nations pledging summit on Afghanistan’s humanitarian crisis, about the UK’s ongoing response to the refugee crisis.

James Cleverly: Ahead of the UN Afghanistan Pledging Conference, UK officials held broad-ranging discussions, including on the impact of the humanitarian situation in Afghanistan on refugees, with UN donor partners, NGOs, financial institutions and other government departments.The UK has supported over 3,700 individuals to leave Afghanistan since the end of Op PITTING. We'll continue to work to ensure those still in Afghanistan are able to depart the country safely. This includes holding the Taliban to their commitment to ensure safe passage.

Companies: Environment Protection and Human Rights

Tommy Sheppard: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if she will make it her policy to introduce legislation to hold companies liable when they fail to prevent human rights abuses and environmental harms in overseas supply chains.

Vicky Ford: The Government is clear that it expects all UK businesses to respect human rights throughout their operations, in line with the UN Guiding Principles. In response to the Guidelines, the UK was the first State to produce a National Action Plan and we continue to develop our approach in line with Modern Slavery Act 2015. Section 54 of the Modern Slavery Act places a requirement on businesses with a turnover of £36 million or more, to publish an annual modern slavery statement setting out the steps they have taken to prevent modern slavery in their operations and supply chains. To further bolster our commitment to tackle modern slavery, in January 2021, the UK government announced that financial penalties will be introduced for organisations who fail to meet their statutory obligations to publish annual modern slavery statements. We have also enhanced Companies Act reporting (2013, 2016) and the UK is signatory to the 1976 OECD Declaration on International Investment and Multi-National Enterprises, which adopted the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises. The UK has also introduced due diligence legislation through the Environment Act to tackle illegal deforestation in UK supply chains. This is one part of a wider package of measures to improve the sustainability of our supply chains and will contribute to global efforts to protect forests and other ecosystems.

Sub-Saharan Africa: Development Aid

Ruth Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how much her Department has spent on foreign aid to Sub-Saharan Southern Africa in (a) 2016, (b) 2017, (c) 2018, (d) 2019, (e) 2020 and (f) 2021.

Vicky Ford: Total UK Bilateral Official Development Assistance (ODA) figures are published in the Statistics on International Development (SID). Total UK Bilateral ODA provided to Sub-Saharan Africa was (a) 2016 (£2.8 billion) (b) 2017 (£2.9 billion) (c) 2018 (£2.8 billion), (d) 2019 (£2.9 billion) and (e) 2020 (£2.5 billion).2021 UK Bilateral ODA figures will be published in the Statistics on International Development in Autumn 2022.Sub-Saharan African nations also receive significant aid from multilaterals, to which the UK contributes. In 2019 (the latest figures currently available), the UK imputed share of multilateral aid to Commonwealth countries was approximately £2.4 billion.

Bala Mubarak

Kirsten Oswald: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if she will raise with her Nigerian counterpart the recent sentencing of Mubarak Bala, President of the Nigerian Humanist Association, to 24 years in prison for the expression of his opinions on Facebook.

Kirsten Oswald: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she plans to take steps to encourage freedom of religion and belief in Commonwealth countries in the context of the imprisonment of Mubarak Bala in Nigeria; and if she will make a statement.

Vicky Ford: The UK Government is committed to defending freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) for all and promoting respect between different religious and non-religious communities. This is a longstanding human rights policy priority for the UK Government, and we look forward to hosting a global summit to promote FoRB later this year.The UK Government has followed Mr Bala's case closely, and has raised his case on multiple occasions with the Nigerian authorities, including following his recent sentencing. The UK Government believes that the right of individuals to express opinions is essential to a free and open society. We are concerned by the severity and length of sentence received by Mr Bala at trial. The British High Commissioner has expressed these concerns to the Kano State Government and the Nigerian President's Chief of Staff. We will continue to follow developments in Mr Bala's case closely, and will continue to stress the importance of Mr Bala being treated in full accordance with his human rights, the rule of law, and the Nigerian constitutional right to freedom of religion or belief.

Religious Freedom: Commonwealth

Kirsten Oswald: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if she will take steps to ensure that the encouragement of freedom of religion and belief in member countries is discussed at the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting in Rwanda in June 2022.

Vicky Ford: The Commonwealth Charter, to which all Commonwealth members are committed, emphasises 'the need to promote tolerance, respect, understanding, moderation and religious freedom'. The UK looks forward to a re-affirmation of the Charter's values at the Kigali Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM).

Senegal: Human Rights

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions she has had with the government of Senegal on accountability for the death of Cheikh Wade and other protesters killed in March 2021.

Vicky Ford: The UK Government was concerned by the unrest and violence in Senegal during protests in March 2021 with reports of protesters being killed. The UK is committed to promoting the protection of freedom, democracy and human rights. We will continue to support inclusive politics and institutions in Senegal. Our Embassy in Dakar regularly engages on these issues and is working with local civil society organisations to support media freedom and access to information in Senegal, which is essential for contributing to democracy and an open society.

Sudan: Sexual Offences

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to reports that female protestors in Sudan have been subjected to rape and assault by Sudanese police and military personnel over recent months, what steps she will take to hold those responsible to account.

Vicky Ford: We raised our deep concern at reports of sexual violence against protesters in Sudan at a meeting of the UN Security Council on 28 March, and with Sudan's military leadership on 6 April. The use of violence against protestors, including sexual violence, must stop and I refer the Honourable Member to the answer of 4 April to question 147040 on issues of accountability.

Angola: Human Rights

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what (a) recent assessment she has made of human rights in Angola, (b) steps she is taking to support organisations advocating for accountability for abuses in that country and (c) representations she has made to the government of Angola in relation to accountability in relation to the deaths in Cafunfo in Lunda Norte province in January 2021.

Vicky Ford: The Government of Angola is working to improve its human rights record. On 20 April 2020, the Government approved a National Human Rights Strategy which is part of the Universal Periodic Review response and recommendations from the last two sessions of 2014 and 2020 of the UN Human Rights Council. The country's most significant, recent advances on Human Rights include the approval of a religious freedom law (Jan 2019), ratification of the UN Conventions Against Torture (UNCAT) and Racial Discrimination (CERD) and of the Optional Protocol on the Abolition of the Death Penalty (all deposited in Oct 2019). In October 2020, the Government approved a new Penal Code, which came into effect February 2021. The new Penal Code prohibits discrimination based on sexual orientation, granting to homosexual individuals the same liberties as any other Angolan citizen.The British Ambassador joined like-minded partners in seeking clarification over the incident in Cafunfo in Lunda Sul province last year. Following an investigation by the Angolan authorities, shortfalls were identified in the crowd control strategies of the Angolan police force. Remedial training was provided by the authorities to avoid a repetition and ensure appropriate and proportionate action will be taken in future.

Cuba: Religious Freedom

Carla Lockhart: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if the Government will take steps to tackle religious persecution in Cuba.

Vicky Ford: The UK is committed to defending Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) for all. We actively promote the right to FoRB through our diplomatic activity both directly with countries, and through multilateral fora including the UN where we call out countries that violate this human right.The reports of the continued maltreatment of those religious leaders arrested by the Government of Cuba are concerning. We have raised the ongoing detentions of protestors directly with the Cuban Government, both in London and Havana. We are clear that human rights must be respected in Cuba: all Cubans should have the right to protest peacefully and detention must not be used as a tool to restrict freedom of expression, assembly, or religion or belief.

Ethiopia: Russia

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if she will make an assessment of the implications for her policies of reports that the governor of the Amhara region in Ethiopia has asked Russia to support the rebuilding of public infrastructure in that region.

Vicky Ford: We are aware of reports that the governor of Amhara region in Ethiopia has asked Russia for support in the rebuilding of public infrastructure. It is not clear whether such support will be forthcoming, and we will continue to monitor to assess the implications of this. We are clear that a full ceasefire in the north of Ethiopia as well as an inclusive national dialogue to address long-standing grievances are essential before reconstruction can begin.

Nigeria: Boko Haram

Carla Lockhart: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions she has had with the Nigerian Government on the violations and abuses of human rights committed by Boko Haram; and what assessment has she made of the effectiveness of the Nigerian government at bringing the perpetrators of these abuses and violations to justice.

Vicky Ford: Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa have caused immense suffering to local communities in the Lake Chad Basin region. We condemn all incidents of violence against civilians in Nigeria. During my visit to Nigeria in February, I raised rising insecurity and its impact on the Nigerian people with the Vice-President and Foreign Minister. I also discussed insecurity with Nigeria's National Security Advisor during the first dialogue of our Security and Defence Partnership in February. During the dialogue, the UK and Nigerian Governments discussed and reaffirmed our commitment to work together to respond to the shared threat of terrorism, and agreed on the importance of an efficient, fair and effective justice system for victims of conflict. The Nigerian Government committed to take steps to progress cases promptly, including trials of those accused of terrorism offences, to provide justice for victims, and the UK Government offered to share technical advice and experience, in support.We will continue to urge and support the Nigerian Government to take action to implement long-term solutions that address the root causes of violence. We will also continue to make clear to the Nigerian authorities at the highest levels the importance of protecting civilians and will continue to encourage the Nigerian Government to take action to bring perpetrators to justice.

Cameroon: Humanitarian Aid

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent representations she has made to the government of Cameroon on enabling humanitarian access to the South-West and North-West regions of Cameroon for (a) Medecins Sans Frontieres and (b) other humanitarian NGOs.

Vicky Ford: The crisis in the North-West and South-West regions of Cameroon has had tragic impacts on the lives of civilians. The UK has called for continued humanitarian access, and on 14 April, alongside the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Cameroon, and other UN Member States, we joined the launch of the 2022 Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP). The HRP outlines how humanitarian actors will support 2.6 million people living in crisis areas with multi-sectoral humanitarian assistance.Over the last five years, we have allocated over £21 million aid to Cameroon, which has included food supplies, sanitation, healthcare and social protection. This is supporting the World Food Programme and International Committee for the Red Cross to assist those affected in the North-West and South-West regions.

Bala Mubarak

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of (a) the impact on freedom of religion or belief in Nigeria of the sentencing of Mubarak Bala, the President of the Nigerian Humanist Association, for blasphemy and (b) procedural justice in that case; and if she has made any representations to authorities in Nigeria in relation to that case.

Vicky Ford: The UK Government is committed to defending freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) for all and promoting respect between different religious and non-religious communities. This is a longstanding human rights policy priority for the UK Government, and we look forward to hosting a global summit to promote FoRB later this year.The UK Government has followed Mr Bala's case closely, and has raised his case on multiple occasions with the Nigerian authorities, including following his recent sentencing. We believe that the right of individuals to express opinions is essential to a free and open society. We are concerned by the severity and length of sentence received by Mr Bala at trial. The British High Commissioner has expressed these concerns to the Kano State Government and the Nigerian President's Chief of Staff. We will continue to follow developments in Mr Bala's case closely, and will continue to stress the importance of Mr Bala being treated in full accordance with his human rights, the rule of law, and the Nigerian constitutional right to freedom of religion or belief.

Angola: Elections

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 13 January 2022 to Question 98253 on Angola: Elections, what recent assessment she has made of the risks of violence by separatist organisations in the run-up to elections in Angola.

Vicky Ford: An armed separatist movement, the Liberation Front for the Cabinda Enclave (FLEC), has been active in Angola's oil-rich northernmost province, Cabinda, since 1963. Angola demonstrated its ability to hold peaceful and democratic elections in 2017, however, and there is no evidence to suggest that this will not be repeated. HMG, along with other likeminded partners, is monitoring this and will continue to encourage the Government of Angola and its National Electoral Commission to implement strategies for an inclusive, fair and transparent election.

Mubarak Bala

Patrick Grady: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions she has had with her Nigerian counterpart on the imprisonment of Mubarak Bala, president of the Nigerian Humanist Association.

Vicky Ford: The UK Government has followed Mr Bala's case closely, and has raised his case on multiple occasions with the Nigerian authorities, including following his recent sentencing. We believe that the right of individuals to express opinions is essential to a free and open society.We are concerned by the severity and length of sentence received by Mr Bala at trial. The British High Commissioner has expressed these concerns to the Kano State Government and the Nigerian President's Chief of Staff. We will continue to follow developments in Mr Bala's case closely, and will continue to stress the importance of Mr Bala being treated in full accordance with his human rights, the rule of law, and the Nigerian constitutional right to freedom of religion or belief.

Tigray: Human Rights

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to We Will Erase You from This Land: Crimes Against Humanity and Ethnic Cleansing in Ethiopia’s Western Tigray Zone published by Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International on 6 April 2022, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of the recommendations of that report.

Vicky Ford: We note the report published on 6 April by Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International. Its findings and other reports of widespread human rights violations and abuses committed by all parties to the conflict are extremely worrying. These include mass detentions, extrajudicial killings, torture, sexual and gender-based violence. UK Ministers and senior officials have underscored to the warring parties - at the highest levels - their obligations towards civilians. The protection of all civilians needs to be prioritised, human rights respected and those responsible for human rights abuses and violations held to account.At a Special Session of the Human Rights Council (HRC) on 17 December 2021, the UK supported and voted in favour of an EU-led resolution on Ethiopia which created an International Commission of Experts to investigate human rights abuses and violations committed during the conflict, and have pushed for this to be properly resourced. We urge all sides in the conflict to cooperate with this Commission of International Experts.

Rwanda: Visits Abroad

Ruth Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, which ministers visited the Republic of Rwanda in each of the last five years.

Vicky Ford: In 2017, Rory Stewart visited Rwanda in his capacity as Minister for Africa. Harriet Baldwin, then Minister for Africa, visited in 2019. Lord Tariq Ahmad of Wimbledon, Minister for the Commonwealth, visited Rwanda in 2021 and Home Secretary Priti Patel visited in 2022. The UK is looking forward to the Commonwealth Head of Government Meetings in June.

Rwanda: Human Rights

Stephen Farry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the current human rights situation in Rwanda.

Vicky Ford: Rwanda is a fundamentally safe and secure country with respect for the rule of law. The World Justice Projects Rule of Law index ranks Rwanda top in African and amongst low income countries for order and security. Rwanda has a strong record on economic and social rights, promotion of gender equality, and protecting the rights of migrants. We continue to have concerns about restrictions to political rights, media freedoms, and civic space. We raise these with the Government of Rwanda through the British High Commission in Kigali and at Ministerial level, most recently in January 2022. We firmly believe that civil society and opposition parties must be able to operate freely, holding the Government to account and contributing to the debate on how Rwanda should be governed.

South Africa: Floods

Ruth Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the humanitarian situation in Kwa-Zulu Natal, South Africa following recent flooding in that region.

Vicky Ford: The UK Government is in contact with stakeholders in South Africa to understand the impact of the floods in KwaZulu Natal and the resulting humanitarian needs. President Ramaphosa declared a National State of Disaster on 18 April. Many people have lost their homes, damage to infrastructure is extensive including to the Port of Durban, many have died. The South African Government has made available R1 billion (£50 million) for the initial relief effort. The UK is working with the rest of the international community to consider how to support the response.

China: Christianity

Carla Lockhart: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she has made representations to the Chinese Government on the impact of its Measures for the Administration of Internet Religious Information Services legislation on Christians in that country seeking to access material on the internet.

Amanda Milling: We remain deeply concerned about restrictions on freedom of religion or belief in China, including the persecution of Christians, Muslims, Buddhists, Falun Gong practitioners and others on the grounds of their religion or belief.We regularly raise our concerns about human rights violations and freedom of religion or belief directly with the Chinese authorities and in multilateral fora. Most recently, we raised our concerns in a statement at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva on 21 March. The Foreign Secretary also underlined our concerns in a personal address to the UN Human Rights Council on 1 March.

Australia: Assistance Animals

Drew Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions officials in her Department have had with their Australian counterparts on the recognition of assistance dogs travelling from the UK.

Amanda Milling: To date, no such discussions have been held. We understand that Australia has regulations in place to manage biosecurity risks of bringing dogs into the country. While there are different entry requirements for assistance dogs, this entails additional administration to confirm a dog is a legitimate and certified assistance dog.

Ukraine: International Assistance

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions she has had with her international counterparts on support for Ukraine's budgetary and economic stability.

James Cleverly: The UK is working intensively with our allies and partners globally. Ministerial engagement is extensive, building on bilateral cooperation and multilateral mechanisms especially the United Nations, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, The North Atlantic Treaty Organization and the G7. The UK is making available over £1 billion in urgently needed economic and humanitarian support in response to the crisis, including $100 million direct budgetary support. In Kyiv the PM also announced additional $500 million in World Bank guarantees to support Ukraine's economy, bringing UK guarantees for World Bank lending to almost $1 billion.

Kuril Islands: Russia

Sir Robert Buckland: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the implications for her Department's policies of the Japanese government’s approach to Russian military drills on the Kurile Islands.

Amanda Milling: We are monitoring Russia's activities in the Indo-Pacific region. Russia's military aggression against Ukraine has generated international condemnation and has consequences for global security. The UK remains committed to increased engagement and strategic focus on the Indo-Pacific. We are deepening and expanding our partnerships to promote freedom, sovereignty, democracy and good governance. We will continue to uphold the international rules and norms that underpin free trade, security and stability.

Ukraine: Armed Conflict

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps she is taking with international counterparts to help ensure that the documentation of war crimes committed by Russia in Ukraine is not compromised by Russian combatants’ use of mobile crematoriums.

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps she is taking with international counterparts to ensure the documentation of alleged war crimes committed by Russian combatants in Mariupol.

James Cleverly: We have led efforts to refer the situation in Ukraine to the International Criminal Court (ICC), which has now secured the support of over 40 other countries. The UK will provide assistance to the ICC to support its Ukraine investigations, including an additional £1 million contribution.  We are also looking to support Ukraine's domestic investigations into war crimes, including through deployments of specialist UK expertise such as the Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict Initiative Team of Experts. We welcome the publication of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Moscow Mechanism report which found credible evidence of war crimes. The UK also supported the creation of the UN Commission of Inquiry to investigate violations of international law. UK Government departments are working closely together to identify and collate evidence of crimes so that we, alongside international partners, can assist with these investigations.

Ukraine: Humanitarian Aid

Rushanara Ali: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if the Sanctions Unit will support a general licence for humanitarian activities in Ukraine in order that charities are able spend the money donated to them by the British public.

Rushanara Ali: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if she will make it her policy to support a general licence for humanitarian activities inside Ukraine to ensure that money donated to the people of Ukraine is able to reach those who need it.

James Cleverly: Sanctions are carefully targeted so as not to impede the delivery of humanitarian assistance. The UK seeks to minimise any unintended consequences of sanctions, including through use of licensing provisions or exceptions where appropriate. HMG has regular engagement with NGOs and banks through the Tri-Sector Group and is committed to ensuring the delivery of humanitarian assistance.

Chernobyl: Nuclear Power Stations

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps she is taking with international counterparts to help ensure electricity at the Chernobyl nuclear plant is not cut off so cooling systems within the sarcophagus covering the fourth reactor are not compromised.

James Cleverly: We are supporting the International Atomic Energy Agency's (IAEA) ongoing efforts to provide technical assistance to Ukrainian authorities. The UK is coordinating with a number of international counterparts and joined a G7 Non Proliferation Directors Group statement (7 April) welcoming IAEA Director General Grossi's efforts and encouraging all countries to support the IAEA in working to restore nuclear security and safety in Ukraine. We will continue to monitor the situation closely.

Russia: Sanctions

Liz Twist: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the reported use of flights to and from Russia via Serbia on the effectiveness of the EU-wide ban on flights in and out of Russia; and what steps she is taking to ensure that travel-based sanctions are (a) comprehensive and (b) effective.

James Cleverly: The UK has prohibited all Russian owned, operated or chartered aircraft from entering UK airspace and landing in the UK. The EU, the US and other allies have also implemented similar flight bans to Russian aircraft. We are working with our international allies and partners, to encourage other countries to introduce similar bans.In addition, since Russia's invasion, the UK has issued travel bans and asset freezes to over a thousand of Russia's most significant and high-value individuals, this includes 18 of Russia's leading oligarchs. The travel bans imposed by the UK and EU apply wherever the individual flies from.

Ukraine: Disability

Cat Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what support the Government is providing to disabled Ukrainians who are unable to leave Ukraine.

James Cleverly: There are at least 2.7 million people in Ukraine with disabilities that are at high risk of harm and abandonment. Many are trapped, unable to evacuate to safer areas and experiencing severe food and medication shortages. The UK is committed to providing humanitarian aid on the basis of need alone, without discrimination on any grounds. In Ukraine, the UK seeks to drive forward a fully inclusive international humanitarian response that addresses the life-saving and urgent needs of women, children, people with disabilities and excluded groups affected by the crisis, and ensuring compliance with the Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) guidelines on disability and gender-based violence.

Finland and Sweden: NATO

Ruth Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions she has had with her (a) Finnish, and (b) Swedish counterparts on those countries potential intention to join NATO.

James Cleverly: The UK Government engages regularly with Finland and Sweden, including on security issues. The UK fully supports Sweden's and Finland's relationships with NATO as Enhanced Opportunities Partners (EOP), and we also cooperate through the UK-led Joint Expeditionary Force. As two of only six EOP countries, Sweden and Finland make significant contributions to NATO operations and have enhanced opportunities for dialogue and cooperation with Allies. Any application for NATO membership must be a decision taken by Sweden or Finland alone. The UK will continue to support and respect Finnish and Swedish decisions related to their own security policy.

Syria: Armed Conflict

Sir Robert Buckland: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions she has had with the Turkish government on mitigating the potential risk of a Russian-led escalation of tensions on the situation in Idlib.

James Cleverly: Ministers and officials regularly discuss the situation in northern Syria with the Government of Turkey. We urge all parties to continue adherence to ceasefire agreements and international law. We remain committed to the Global Coalition Against Daesh. The UK is also in regular contact with Turkey on humanitarian conditions in north west Syria. We continue to play a leadership role in addressing humanitarian need both as a donor and through our role on the UN Security Council.

Ukraine: Conflict, Stability and Security Fund

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to Call for bids: supporting Women, Peace and Security in Ukraine under the Conflict, Security and Stability Fund Programme 2022 to 2023, published on 8 March 2022, how much ODA is planned to be allocated to those projects; and whether that ODA will be part of the Government's announced £220 million of aid to Ukraine.

James Cleverly: On 8 March 2022, International Women's Day, the UK launched new funding for women's rights organisations and civil society actors working to support the critical needs of women and children both inside and displaced outside of Ukraine. The fund will support Ukrainian women leaders and women's rights organisations serving their communities at the forefront of the crisis.These are ODA funds totalling £750,000. This new funding is distinct from the £220 million of humanitarian assistance pledged by the UK to help partners stand up their response to the deteriorating situation in Ukraine and the region, ensuring Ukrainians have access to basic necessities and medical supplies.

Aiden Aslin

Matt Vickers: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether her Department plans to take steps to ensure the safety and protection of Aiden Aslin, also known as CossackGundi or Johnny, a British citizen and Ukrainian marine, recently captured following the fall of Mariupol.

James Cleverly: We are aware of the detention of two British nationals, including Aiden Aslin, who have been fighting as part of the Ukraine Armed Forces. We are in contact with their families to support them. The UK Government condemns the exploitation of prisoners of war for political purposes and calls on the Kremlin to treat all prisoners of war humanely, in accordance with the requirements of international humanitarian law. All members of the Ukrainian Armed Forces are entitled to be treated as prisoners of war in line with the Geneva Convention.

Ukraine: Military Aid

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps she is taking to supply the Ukrainian armed forces with the necessary equipment to de-mine the area surrounding the Chernobyl nuclear plant and allow full safety checks in that area to be completed.

James Cleverly: We are working with the Government of Ukraine to assess needs, capacities and risk appetites of partners, in order to ascertain how best to support de-mining efforts in newly liberated areas (including Chernobyl).Since 2014 we have supported a range of explosive threat management activities in Ukraine through partners including the HALO Trust, UNDP and OSCE, through the Conflict, Stability and Security Fund (CSSF). This support has resulted in 2,552,332 m2 of land being cleared and 130,346 people receiving Explosive Ordnance Risk Education, which has led to a significant reduction in mine-related casualties. FCDO and MOD are actively lobbying Ukraine to expand permissions to broaden the scope of demining activities by partners, thereby creating further capacity to tackle this urgent issue.

Asylum: Rwanda

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether any of the cost of sending people seeking asylum to Rwanda will come from the ODA budget; and if she will make a statement.

James Cleverly: The funding for the Migration and Economic Development Partnership with Rwanda is not from the Official Development Assistance budget.

Yemen: Peace Negotiations

Patrick Grady: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to help secure a peaceful resolution to the conflict in Yemen.

Patrick Grady: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps the Government is taking in its role as penholder on Yemen at the UN Security Council to help secure international support for an end to violence in that country.

Amanda Milling: The UK welcomes the UN-brokered two-month truce in Yemen, which began on 2 April, and the creation of a Presidential Leadership Council in Yemen on 6 April. After seven long years of conflict, a negotiated political settlement is the only way to bring long-term stability to Yemen and end the humanitarian suffering. The UK will continue to use its diplomatic relations and role as penholder on Yemen in the UN Security Council to support efforts towards political dialogue and peace, including through coordinated statements, regular briefings of the UN Special Envoy and through the targeted use of sanctions. The UK continues to encourage the conflict parties to engage constructively with UN-led peace efforts.

Yemen: Ansar Allah

Kim Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for the Home Department on the potential (a) proscription of Ansar Allah as a terrorist organisation and (b) humanitarian consequences of that proscription on civilians in Yemen.

Amanda Milling: It is HMG policy to not comment on whether we are considering a group for proscription. The Home Secretary will consider the national security case, as well as a range of discretionary factors such as the impact on UK communities, the humanitarian impact, and the impact on our ability to assist our allies around the world in the global fight against terrorism when making any decision.

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how much and what proportion of Official Development Assistance in 2021 was accounted for by the donation of covid-19 vaccinations.

Amanda Milling: In 2021, the UK's donation of excess vaccine doses, both directly and through COVAX, to developing countries was estimated at £100.4 million. This equates to 0.87% of UK Overseas Development Assistance in 2021.

Ministry of Defence

Nuclear Weapons

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the nuclear emergency response policy following the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

James Heappey: There has been no need to review Defence nuclear emergency response policy in the context of the Russian invasion of Ukraine as it is focused on emergency preparedness and response requirements in the event of a radiation emergency involving UK defence nuclear assets. Adequacy and currency of the policy and associated emergency response arrangements are ensured through regular review and testing.

Ukraine: Military Aid

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he plans to provide further military assistance to Ukraine in the context of the Russian invasion of that country.

James Heappey: To date Defence has provided over 5,000 NLAWs, over 200 Javelin anti-tank missiles and 1,000s of additional anti-tank and missile variants, Starstreak air defence systems, over 400,000 rounds of small-arms munitions, and over 200,000 pieces of non-lethal aid including helmets, body armour, and medical equipment.Defence remains relentless in its pursuit of avenues to meet Ukrainian requests at pace, including through Industry and global partners. In the coming weeks, we will deliver 120 armoured vehicles, and further Stormer armoured vehicles with day and night anti-air capabilities, high-tech loitering munitions, coastal defence and additional short-range air defence systems. Ukraine urgently requires more long-range artillery and associated ammunition, and where possible we will seek to enable or supply such weapons.

Business: Cybersecurity

Mr Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many companies (a) made bids and (b) are being considered for the supply of protective electronic countermeasures; and if he will make a statement.

Jeremy Quin: It is assumed this question is referring to the current competition to appoint a System Integrator for Project CRENIC, related to the provision of Force Protection Electronic Countermeasures. Following receipt of answers from industry to a dynamic pre qualification questionnaire, three separate industry teams received an Invitation to Negotiate and submitted tenders. Contract award is expected to be announced later in 2022.

Ukraine: Military Aid

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate he has made of the total value of British military support provided to Ukraine in 2022 broken down by category of support.

James Heappey: We can not disclose the category of support due to the sensitivity of this information, however the total value of British military support provided to Ukraine since the Russian invasion began is more than £450 million in Grant in Aid.

Iran: International Military Services

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 17 September 2021 to Question 41086 on Iran: International Military Services, whether court proceedings between International Military Services Ltd and Modsaf have closed or if further hearings are expected.

Mr Ben Wallace: All legal proceedings in the dispute between International Military Services (IMS) Ltd and Iran's Ministry of Defence (MODSAF) have been dismissed.

Clyde Naval Base and RNAD Coulport: Radioactive Materials

Deidre Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many nuclear safety events there have been at (a) Coulport and (b) Faslane in each of the last three years.

Jeremy Quin: The safety significance of all reported events remains low and are below Level 1, the lowest of the seven-point International Nuclear and Radiological Event Scale (INES). None of the events caused harm to the health of any member of staff on the Naval Base or to any member of the public or have resulted in any radiological impact to the environment.  The table below provides the number of Nuclear Site Event Reports (NSERs) at Coulport and Faslane recorded for 2019, 2020 and 2021. These are shown according to their categorisation using criteria agreed locally in 2015.Nuclear Site Events - 2019Category ACategory BCategory CCategory DBelow ScaleCoulport001413Faslane0154688 Nuclear Site Events - 2020Category ACategory BCategory CCategory DBelow ScaleCoulport000026Faslane0012696 Nuclear Site Events - 2021Category ACategory BCategory CCategory DBelow ScaleCoulport010832Faslane02103367

Nuclear Submarines: Fuels

Dave Doogan: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when remaining nuclear submarines that require defueling will undergo that process; and how much funding his Department has allocated to that process.

Jeremy Quin: There are currently 21 decommissioned submarines in afloat storage; seven at Rosyth Dockyard and 14 at Devonport Dockyard. The seven submarines at Rosyth Dockyard have already been defueled and of the 14 decommissioned submarines in Devonport, four have been defueled and 10 remain fuelled and await completion of the new defueling facilities at Devonport. As set out in the United Kingdom's future nuclear deterrent: the 2021 update to Parliament, we continue to develop the submarine dismantling techniques necessary to meet all safety and sustainability standards and establish the long-term solution that provides best value for the taxpayer. Our commitment to the safe, secure, environmentally sound and cost-effective defueling and dismantling of all our decommissioned nuclear submarines as soon as practicably possible remains undiminished.  Construction of the new facilities to defuel decommissioned submarines is continuing at Her Majesty's Naval Base Devonport. It is not MOD policy to pre-announce the funding of its projects for reasons of protecting commercial interests.

Undocumented Migrants: English Channel

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the Prime Minister’s speech on action to tackle illegal migration on 14 April 2022, whether the 36 new Intercept and Escort Craft to be commissioned by his Department under contract procurement reference 2021/S 000-030887 will be deployed primarily to undertake patrol duties in the Channel when they become operational over the period 2022-26.

James Heappey: The 36 new vessels referred to are not yet contracted and are subject to an ongoing competition. They are being procured to maintain Ministry of Defence Police standing Defence Tasks at the Royal Navy Bases at Portsmouth, Faslane, Plymouth, Gibraltar and Cyprus. There are no current plans for these vessels to be deployed under Operation ISOTROPE in support of managing small boats migration in the English Channel.

Undocumented Migrants: English Channel

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the Prime Minister’s speech on action to tackle illegal migration on 14 April 2022, whether the 16 new Ministry of Defence Police vessels commissioned in June 2021 under his Department’s contract with Marine Specialised Technology will be deployed primarily to undertake patrol duties in the Channel when they become operational in July 2022.

James Heappey: The 16 new vessels referred to have been procured for the Ministry of Defence Police to maintain their standing Defence Task to protect the Royal Navy Bases at Portsmouth, Faslane and Plymouth. There are no current plans for these vessels to be deployed under Operation ISOTROPE in support of managing small boats migration in the English Channel.

Armed Forces: Recruitment

Mr Mark Francois: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the latest average time was between first inquiry and subsequent enlistment for candidates wishing to serve in the (a) Royal Navy, (b) Royal Air Force and (c) British Army.

Leo Docherty: The requested information is as follows:Royal NavyArmyRoyal Air Force373 days344 days456 days Notes/Caveats:- Averages have been calculated using data from 1 January–31 December 2021 and have been calculated using the mean.- The Services do not routinely or uniformly record the date of first enquiry, and each has a different set of intake pathways. Representative calculations have necessarily been made therefore using the following parameters:- Royal Navy (both Royal Navy/Royal Marines): time taken from application to joining. - Army: time taken from application to the start of basic training. - Royal Air Force: time taken from application to receipt of both offer of service and phase one training course date.- There are several variables that may impact the time it takes to progress through the recruitment pipeline, including but are not limited to, timely individual participation in the recruitment process, medical/fitness issues, aptitude testing success, and availability of training places.

Armed Forces: Recruitment

Mr Mark Francois: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the (a) recruitment target and (b) number of candidates recruited was for (i) the Royal Navy, (ii) the Royal Air Force and (iii) the British Army in 2021-22.

Leo Docherty: The recruitment targets for the Armed Forces for financial year (FY) April 2021 – March 2022 are as follows:Royal NavyArmyRoyal Air Force3,28410,3423,174 These figures include Regular Officers, Regular Other Ranks, Reserve Officers, and Reserve Other Ranks. Intake to UK Regular Forces for FY 2021-22 up to 31 December 2021 can be found in the published Quarterly Service Personnel Statistics at table 5a of the data within the accompanying Excel sheet: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/quarterly-service-personnel-statistics-2022. The full FY 2021-22 intake figures will be published in the 1 April 2022 Quarterly Service Personnel Statistics, which currently has a provisional release date of 16 June 2022.It should be noted that recruitment targets are not directly comparable to the published intake statistics because of differences in definitions/populations used in the underlying data.

Armed Forces: Recruitment

Mr Mark Francois: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what his timeframe is for reopening online the defence recruitment system following the recent data breach in respect of that system; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Mark Francois: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the security of the defence recruitment system following the recent data breach.

Leo Docherty: The Defence Recruiting System (DRS) has been reconnected to the MOD Core Network (MCN) and Recruiting Group (RG) staff are able to process candidates. The Internet Candidate Portal (ICP) will be operational once requisite system updates have been completed. This will ensure sufficient hardening and testing of DRS is undertaken prior to reconnection of the ICP. The Army continues to recruit and load-to-train candidates under a Business Continuity Plan in a limited fashion whilst the ICP is non-operational.An investigation by a National Cyber Security Centre-Assured Provider of Cyber Incident Response services found no evidence of system compromise that would allow for exfiltration of candidate data from inside DRS itself. It is likely that initial access to the Internet Candidate Portal was purchased from the Dark Web using credentials (username and password) stolen from the potential candidates themselves.

Ministry of Defence: Scotland

Deidre Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many financial mitigation payments have been made to staff in his Department based in Scotland in respect of the Scottish rate of income tax; and at what salary level those payments began.

Leo Docherty: It will take some time to collate the data required to answer the hon. Member's question. I will write with the requested information in due course.

Armed Forces: Offences against Children

Dave Doogan: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the Sexual Offences in the Service Justice System statistics for 2021 published on 31 March 2022, how many of (a) the 47 victims of sexual offences cases aged under 18 were female and (b) how many of those cases were proven following investigation.

Dave Doogan: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the Sexual Offences in the Service Justice System statistics for 2021 published on 31 March 2022, how many of the 47 victims of sexual offences cases aged under 18 were based at the Army Foundation College at the time of the offence.

Leo Docherty: Of the 47 victims in those statistics, 37 were female and of those cases one has been proven, four are ongoing, and 11 have been transferred to the civilian police. 22 were based at the Army Foundation College at the time of the offence.

Armed Forces: Sexual Offences

Stephanie Peacock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to improve the gathering of forensic evidence for victims of rape and sexual assault in the UK Armed Forces.

Leo Docherty: In-line with nationally recognised best practice, victims of sexual offences are taken to Sexual Assault Referral Centres (SARCs) for the collection of forensic evidence. Service Police undertake specialist forensic training at civilian police facilities, and improvements introduced by civilian counterparts are adopted by Service Justice System.

Members: Correspondence

John Penrose: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when he plans to reply to letters of 14 February and 15 March 2022 from the hon. Member for Weston-super-Mare on behalf of his constituent, Chris Allen,about medals.

Leo Docherty: My Noble friend, the Right Hon. Baroness Goldie, responded to the hon. Member on 21 April 2022. I apologise for the delay in responding. This was due to an administrative error.

Armed Forces: Recruitment

Mr Mark Francois: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many companies tendered for the Defence Recruitment System contract which was subsequently awarded to Capita.

Leo Docherty: The number of companies that submitted tenders for the Army recruitment contract which was subsequently awarded to Capita was two.

Falkland Islands: Armed Forces

Sarah Atherton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to injured Falkland Islands service personnel on operations, what his Department's policy is on (a) flying next of kin to the location of injured service personnel and (b) repatriating service personnel back to the Falklands if necessary.

Leo Docherty: The Department's relevant policies are contained within Joint Service Publication 751 (Joint Casualty and Compassionate Policy and Procedures). Up to three family members or friends are eligible for travel, at public expense, to visit a dangerously ill or injured Service person (SP), if it benefits the SP to do so and the location is deemed safe for visitors. Repatriation of SP will also be paid for at public expense. The policy includes travel from/to anywhere in the world, including the Falkland Islands.

Department for Work and Pensions

Members: Correspondence

Peter Grant: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when she will respond to the correspondence dated 9 March 2022 from the hon. Member for Glenrothes on delays with state pensions in summer 2021, reference PG5490.

Guy Opperman: The Department for Work and Pensions has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Housing Benefit: Social Rented Housing

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether her Department has undertaken an Equality Impact Assessment of the continuation of the spare room subsidy.

David Rutley: Such an assessment has not been made. Ministers continue to fulfil the requirements of the Public Sector Equality Duty and to consider the equality impacts when taking decisions about policy changes. The removal of the spare room subsidy is an important tool to make better use of the existing social housing stock, enable mobility within the social rented sector as well as strengthening work-incentives. Discretionary Housing Payments (DHPS) are available for those who need additional housing support. Since 2011 we have provided almost £1.5billion in DHP’s to local authorities.

Department for Work and Pensions: Location

Beth Winter: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Written Statement of 18 March 2022, HCWS700 and the statement relating to no plans to reduce headcount, what discussions she has had with contractors that employ ancillary and facilities management staff on the affected sites about measures to avoid reductions of staff employed by those companies.

Beth Winter: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Written Statement of 18 March 2022, HCWS700, on DWP Workplace Transformation, what assessment been made of the likelihood of reduction of staff employed at the sites by other companies, such as those that employ ancillary and facilities management staff on the sites planned for closure.

Beth Winter: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant of the Answer of 5 April 2022 to Question 149408, whether the Equality Impact Assessments conducted took into account staff employed by other companies, such as those contracted by her Department to carry out facilities management functions, at the sites affected.

Mims Davies: As part of the Workplace Transformation an assessment will be made for each individual site. Should this indicate any supplier staff reductions, our contractors have advised they would seek to redeploy across the network of their respective organisations first and seek to mitigate against any impact. The Department is fully compliant in its duties under section 149 of the Equality Act 2010. To understand the potential impact of changes to our estate, both for DWP employees and people using its services, Equality Analyses have been carried out for sites planned to close or relocate. The Equality Analyses do not cover colleagues who are not employed directly by DWP.

Fuel Direct Scheme

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department is taking to promote the Fuel Direct scheme as an alternative to energy prepayment for vulnerable customers who are at risk of self-disconnection.

David Rutley: The Government's website, GOV.UK provides information about the option of paying towards energy bills directly out of a range of benefits if the claimant is in debt and is having difficulties budgeting for these costs, as well as advice on extra help with fuel bills for people in receipt of benefits. DWP staff will discuss the option of Fuel Direct and third-party deductions with claimants and handle any applications they receive. The scheme is not intended to be an alternative to energy prepayment meters, which may be appropriate for the claimant depending on their circumstances. In addition, Jobcentre staff have access to information on services and support available in their local area and will signpost claimants to national and local organisations who provide specialist debt and money management support.

Energy: Billing

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department is taking to promote the use of third party deductions from benefits claimants to pay energy bills in (a) Wales and (b) the UK.

David Rutley: The Government's website, GOV.UK provides information about the option of paying towards energy bills directly out of a range of benefits if the claimant is in debt and is having difficulties budgeting for these costs, as well as advice on extra help with fuel bills for people in receipt of benefits. DWP staff will discuss the option of Fuel Direct and third-party deductions with claimants and handle any applications they receive. The scheme is not intended to be an alternative to energy prepayment meters, which may be appropriate for the claimant depending on their circumstances. In addition, Jobcentre staff have access to information on services and support available in their local area and will signpost claimants to national and local organisations who provide specialist debt and money management support.

Jobseeker's Allowance and Universal Credit

Kirsty Blackman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will publish the equalities impact assessment undertaken by her Department in respect of The Universal Credit and Jobseeker’s Allowance (Work Search and Work Availability Requirements - limitations) (Amendment) Regulations 2022.

Mims Davies: The department aims to place a copy of the equalities impact assessment for these Regulations in the House Library in due course.

Habitual Residence Test

Kate Osamor: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 25 March 2022 to Question 142049 on Social Security Benefits: Habitual Residence Test, what steps the Risk Review Team takes to determine whether there is a risk that a claimant does not satisfy the Habitual Residence Test.

David Rutley: If during a review, the Risk Review Team identify any doubt regarding HRT status, they gather relevant information, and refer to an independent decision maker who will determine HRT status.

Social Security Benefits: Disqualification

Kirsty Blackman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answers of 8 February 2022 to Question 117880 and Question 121901, on Social Security Benefits: Disqualification, what assessment she has made of the findings of the implications for her policies of international studies, including those summarised in Griggs and Evans (2010), the National Audit Office’s 2016 report on Benefit sanctions and the written evidence from her Department to the Work and Pension Committee’s inquiry on benefit sanctions in 2018, that, where sanctions prompted people to move into work, the effect could be short-lived and result in lower quality jobs in respect of pay, conditions, duration and sustainability.

Mims Davies: No specific assessment has been made. The Department considers all available evidence when making decisions regarding new or existing policies. To ensure sanctions are clear, fair and effective in promoting positive behaviours, we keep the operation of the conditionality and sanctions policies and process under continuous review. We routinely undertake Equality Analyses when developing policies.These regulations change the amount of time people have to search for jobs in their preferred sector, which is known as the permitted period. The permitted period is available at the discretion of a Work Coach and only claimants with substantial experience in a certain sector or occupation, or at a level of remuneration are eligible. If, after 4 weeks, claimants granted a permitted period refuse to widen their job search and apply for roles, attend interviews or take up paid work outside of their preferred sector without good reason, then they may be referred for a sanction. A sanction is only ever applied if claimants fail, without good reason, to meet their agreed conditionality requirements.We have a well-established system of hardship payments, available as a safeguard if a claimant demonstrates that they cannot meet their immediate and most essential needs, including accommodation, heating, food and hygiene.

Household Support Fund

Andrew Lewer: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the extension of the Household Support Fund, when his Department will provide advice to local authorities on enabling public access to that service.

David Rutley: We are providing an additional £500 million from April to help households with the cost of essentials, bringing the total funding for this support to £1 billion. In England, £421 million will be provided to extend the existing Household Support Fund from 1 April to 30 September inclusive, following directly on from the £421 million previously provided from 6 October 2021 to 31 March 2022 bringing the total funding for England to £842 million. This funding will continue to help people who are struggling to afford energy and water bills, food, and other essentials. Local Authorities have been issued with the fund guidance and the accompanying grant determination for the extended funding. Local Authorities have discretion on exactly how this funding is used within the scope set out. It is for Local Authorities, using their local ties and knowledge, to design local schemes that best meet the needs of local people. We expect local schemes to be available shortly.

Social Security Benefits: Deductions

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will guarantee the maintenance of third party deductions in their current form until at least the end of this Parliament.

David Rutley: The Social Security Benefits (Claims and Payments) (Modification) Regulations 2022 are a temporary modification to legislation which means that only claimants will be able to make new requests to pay for their ongoing energy consumption directly from their benefit or request an increase or decrease to existing arrangements. Requests for fixed-rate deductions towards fuel arrears remain unchanged. These regulations will expire on 06/04/2023 and legislation will revert unless a further legislative change is made.Record energy prices are just one of a range of cost-of-living pressures that DWP claimants are facing. Given the increased proportion of income that energy bills are likely to represent in coming months, the Department is not content to continue to prioritise this particular need to the potential detriment of other essential needs - unless this is the express wish of a claimant.

Workplace Pensions

Thangam Debbonaire: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps (a) her Department or (b) the Pension Protection Fund are taking to monitor proactively which pension schemes have a guarantee from a public authority.

Thangam Debbonaire: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether the Pension Protection Fund (PPF) is able to refund PPF levies payments where a pension scheme had been paying the levy and then been found to be ineligible for paying into that fund.

Thangam Debbonaire: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department has taken against pension scheme trustees that have paid Pension Protection Fund levies when their pension schemes were subsequently found to be ineligible for payments into the Fund.

Guy Opperman: Government Departments are required to reflect any guarantees given in their Annual Report and Accounts. These accounts are laid before Parliament annually.The Pension Protection Fund will only invoice eligible schemes; but it would refund any levies from schemes that are subsequently found to be ineligible, including where a scheme can demonstrate that it had a historic crown guarantee.

Access to Work Programme

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of her Department's Access to Work Scheme.

Chloe Smith: Research has demonstrated the value Access to Work delivers for people with disabilities and employers: Access to Work: Qualitative research with applicants, employers and delivery staff (publishing.service.gov.uk) The research found “Nearly everyone felt it offered invaluable support for individuals with health conditions and/or disabilities, and their employers – often transforming difficult situations (e.g. in which employees were struggling to continue in work, or employee-employer relationships were deteriorating).” DWP continues to work closely with disability organisations to review, improve and transform the service it provides to ensure it is as effective as possible. This includes developing a new digital service that will deliver an improved customer experience. The effectiveness of the scheme is demonstrated by its growth as indicated in the Access to Work Official Statistics which shows the number of people receiving Access to Work provision has grown considerably since 2015/16. Although there was a slight decline in 2020/21 reflecting reduced use of travel to work and support worker help during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Universal Credit

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average response time to claimants is for Universal Credit online journal responses.

David Rutley: I refer the Rt Hon member to the answer I gave to Question Number 125419.

Social Security Benefits: Fraud

Kate Osamor: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 9 March 2022 to Question 37396 on Social Security Benefits: Fraud, how many cases that were found to be fraudulent by the Risk Review Team were included in the data provided to that Answer.

David Rutley: The information relates to criminal fraud investigations conducted between 2015 – 2022.Risk Review Team interventions are not included in the data.

Social Security Benefits: Fraud

Kate Osamor: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 9 March 2022 to Question 137396 on Social Security Benefits: Fraud, how many of the cases of benefit fraud in (a) 2020, (b) 2021 and (c) 2022 to date were reviewed at any point by the Risk Review Team.

David Rutley: The information relates to criminal fraud investigations conducted between 2015 – 2022. Risk Review Team interventions are not included in the data.

Habitual Residence Test

Kate Osamor: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 25 March 2022 to Question on Social Security Benefits: Habitual Residence Test, whether the Risk Review Team reviews every case in which intelligence has identified a high risk that the claimant does not satisfy the Habitual Residence Test.

David Rutley: The Risk Review Team review all cases referred to them.Referrals are not identified based on Habitual Residence test status.

Universal Credit

Kate Osamor: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many applications were received for the post of chair of the Universal Credit Programme Board when it was last advertised; and how many candidates were interviewed for that role.

David Rutley: The role of chair of the Universal Credit Programme Board was recruited as a direct appointment.

Universal Credit

Kate Osamor: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will place a copy of the job description and person specification for the post of chair of the Universal Credit Programme Board when it was last advertised in the Library.

David Rutley: We will place a copy of the job description / person specification for the post of chair of the Universal Credit Programme Board in the Library.

Habitual Residence Test

Kate Osamor: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether it is her Department's policy that all benefit claimants should reasonably be expected to be aware of whether they do or do not pass the habitual residence test.

David Rutley: Access to DWP income-related benefits such as Universal Credit flows from an individual’s immigration status. The Department assesses this through the Habitual Residence Test, which has two elements: a legal right to reside test and an objective assessment of factual evidence of habitual residence. Those eligible to claim Universal Credit are required to have established habitual residence in the UK and be exercising a right to reside in the UK which grants eligibility to receive public funds (e.g. Indefinite Leave to Remain or Settled Status under the EU Settlement Scheme). EU citizens with pre-settled status have the same access to benefits as they did prior to the introduction of the EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS). They will satisfy the right to reside element of the Habitual Residence Test and can access benefits if they are exercising a qualifying right to reside, such as a worker or self-employed person, and are habitually resident in the UK. Guidance on the Habitual Residence Test can be found within Chapter C1: International Issues within the Advice for Decision Makers guide: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/advice-for-decision-making-staff-guide Those who undertake the Habitual Residence Test will receive a letter explaining the decision, either for a pass or a fail. In respect of Universal Credit, this letter is uploaded to the claimant’s journal. If the claimant does not agree with the decision, and they have additional evidence to support their claim, they have the right to apply for a mandatory reconsideration.

Disability Living Allowance: Children

Cat Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, for what reason Disability Living Allowance (DLA) ceases with immediate effect upon the death of a child; what assessment her Department has undertaken on the child mortality rate of child applicants to DLA; and if the Government will take steps to support parents of a child in receipt of DLA with funeral costs following the death of that child.

Chloe Smith: Disability Living Allowance (DLA) for children is an extra-costs benefit available to those under the age of 16 who, due to a disability or health condition have mobility issues and/or have needs which are substantially in excess of a child the same age without the disability or health condition. It is not an income replacement benefit. It is non-contributory and not means tested or subject to taxation and is therefore payable to eligible children regardless of the family’s income. As it is paid as a contribution towards the extra costs that arise as a result of a long-term health condition or disability, entitlement therefore ceases following the death of the disabled child. However, entitlement to Carer's Allowance can continue for up to eight weeks following the death of the disabled person who was being cared for. The normal Carer's Allowance entitlement rules continue to apply during this eight-week run-on. The eight-week run-on helps carers who have recently been bereaved by giving them some time to adapt to their new circumstances. The Children’s Funeral Fund for England can help to pay for some of the costs of a funeral for a child under 18 or a baby stillborn after the 24th week of pregnancy. In addition, the means tested Social Fund Funeral Expenses Payment may be able to offer up to £1000 of additional support for other funeral expenses for eligible customers. We currently do not hold data on mortality rates of child applicants to DLA.

Children: Maintenance

Holly Lynch: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will ensure continuity in the payment of Child Maintenance Service during a review of those payments so that parent in receipt continues to be financially supported.

Guy Opperman: Where paying parents experience a change in income, the Child Maintenance Service can review their case and check if the liability should change. Paying parents are legally obliged to continue making payments while the case is being reviewed.

Children: Maintenance

Dr Rupa Huq: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the National Audit Office's projections of the Child Maintenance Service arrears reaching £1 billion by 2031.

Guy Opperman: The Department has not forecast caseloads beyond 2025. The National Audit Office (NAO) forecast is a simple linear projection that assumes the legislative and economic environment will remain unchanged over the next nine years and does not account for the Child Maintenance Service’s (CMS) ageing population of qualifying children. Up to December 2021, the CMS has arranged £5.4 billion of child maintenance and £451 million (8%) was unpaid.

Children: Maintenance

Thangam Debbonaire: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what criteria are used for determining whether a shortfall in child maintenance payments is deemed non-compliant with an Order for Child Maintenance.

Guy Opperman: Non-Compliance is considered as any Child Maintenance payment that is not paid in full and on time as per the payment schedule which is issued to the customer.

Attendance Allowance: Medical Examinations

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate her Department has made of the total cost of assessments for attendance allowance in each of the last five years.

Guy Opperman: The total cost of assessments for Attendance Allowance are provided below:  2016/17 27.95m2017/18 24.35m2018/19 19.68m2019/20 21.94m2020/21 18.68m

Department for Work and Pensions: Freedom of Information

Ms Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 7 April 2022 to Question 147025, if she will refer her Department’s decision to withhold the Prime Minister’s Implementation Unit’s report in 2019 on the experiences of vulnerable people claiming Universal Credit from publication under section 36 of the Freedom of Information Act to the Government Legal Service for advice.

David Rutley: We do not intend to refer this to the Government Legal Service.

Energy: Billing

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what discussions she has had with representatives of energy suppliers on third party deductions.

David Rutley: DWP collaborate with Ofgem and Energy UK on any changes to energy deductions from benefits, most recently to gauge their thoughts on the temporary changes to be made regarding ongoing consumption payments. They both supported DWP in communicating to energy suppliers why a change was required, how it operates and when it is effective.

Housing Benefit: Supported Housing

Jane Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if his Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a housing benefit taper for recipients who have entered into employment but temporarily remain in supported accommodation.

David Rutley: This is already in place. The income taper in Housing Benefit ensures claimants will always be financially better off working than not being in work. In addition to any financial advantage, there are important non-financial benefits of working. These benefits include learning new skills, improved confidence and independence as well as a positive effect on an individual's mental and physical health.

Universal Credit

Kate Osamor: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the term of office is of the chair of the Universal Credit Programme Board.

David Rutley: The term of office for the chair of the Universal Credit Programme Board is 18 months with the possibility of an extension. The current chair of the Universal Credit Programme Board took office on 5 August 2021.

Universal Credit

Ms Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, on how many occasions Ministers from her Department have attended the Universal Credit Programme Board in each year since 1 January 2018.

David Rutley: Minsters have attended the Universal Credit Board four times since 1 January 2018.

Universal Credit

Ms Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to her Department’s acceptance in principle of recommendation 3 of the Social Security Advisory Committee’s report on the draft Universal Credit (Managed Migration) Regulations 2018, whether her Department has (a) carried out the impact assessment of the migration plans and (b) put together the action plan for any adverse impacts identified.

David Rutley: We have conducted detailed Equality Assessments of migration plans as part of our Public Sector Equality Duty. We will test and evaluate our approach to managed migration and will reassess equality impacts in accordance with the evaluation results. We will restart managed migration, in May 2022, on a small scale before we take on larger volumes. This will enable us to assess the impacts and refine our processes to ensure they are working well before increasing the scale of managed migration. Our plan remains to complete the rollout of Universal Credit safely and on time by the end of 2024, carefully considering those claimants who are most vulnerable and with complex needs.

Sanitary Protection: Waste Disposal

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what information she has received from the Health and Safety Executive since December 2022 as to whether the existing Regulation 2(3) of the Workplace Regulations need to be updated to ensure that they meet the health, safety and welfare needs of men who need to dispose of stoma and incontinence products in toilets.

Chloe Smith: I refer the hon. Member to my response UIN 82281, tabled on 26 November. The Health and Safety Executive’s review referred to in that response remains ongoing at this time.

Household Support Fund

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will take steps to ensure adequate funding is available to local authorities to support local residents through the Housing Support Fund in the event that demand exceeds the allocation of funding.

David Rutley: The Household Support Fund extension is part of £22 billion we are providing in 2022-23 to help ease cost of living pressures. The additional £500 million we are providing from April to help households with the cost of essentials brings the total funding for this support to £1 billion. In England, £421 million will be provided to extend the existing Household Support Fund from 1 April to 30 September inclusive and will continue to help people who are struggling to afford energy and water bills, food, and other essentials.

Jobseeker's Allowance and Universal Credit

Kirsty Blackman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether the amendments to the permitted period contained in The Universal Credit and Jobseeker’s Allowance (Work Search and Work Availability Requirements - limitations) (Amendment) Regulations 2022 include an objective to support claimants to move into sustained, long-term employment.

Mims Davies: The Way to Work campaign is a move to help job-ready claimants into work sooner, utilising strong relationships with employers to help fill the hundreds of thousands of vacancies in the economy. We are also providing claimants with more time with their Work Coaches so they are better supported in their search for work as we know that a claimant that can work is better off in work and that those in work have a greater chance of securing a better job and progressing in a career. Finally, building on the Way to Work campaign, we are rolling out a new in-work progression offer to all Jobcentres. This will extend the support we provide to low-paid benefit claimants in work, providing targeted support to help people progress in their jobs, overcome barriers to fulfil their potential and earn more.

Social Security Benefits: Disqualification

Kirsty Blackman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 8 February 2022 to Question 117880, on Social Security Benefits: Disqualification, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of the finding on page 73 of her Department's in-work progression randomised control trial that ran between April 2015 and March 2018 that sanctions did not appear to have a positive impact on motivation to progress and that they could damage the relationship between the Work Coach and participant.

Mims Davies: A positive working relationship between a Work Coach and a claimant is crucial but the same section also shows how sanctions are an effective tool at driving compliance. Building on the evidence from the randomised control trial to support in-work progression, we are extending the support Jobcentres provide to people in work and on low incomes to help them to increase their earnings and move into better paid quality jobs. This will be provided by Work Coaches and focus on career progression advice, such as considering skills gaps, identifying training needs, or looking for opportunities for the claimant to progress in their current role or in a new role. The support will be offered to working UC claimants on a voluntary basis initially. However, we will review this in the future to ensure everyone who could benefit from this support engages with it. Our evaluation of the new voluntary in-work progression offer will inform our future approach to helping UC claimants to progress.

Access to Work Programme

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many applications to her Department's Access to Work Scheme are delayed as at 19 April 2022.

Chloe Smith: Access to Work are currently receiving an increased level of applications for support and are working through all applications to ensure that they are progressed as soon as possible. During the year April 2021-March 2022, c79,800 applications for support were processed.For applications where a customer is due to begin a new job with a start date within 4 weeks, their case will be prioritised, and contact made as soon as possible. For renewal applications for on-going support, these are also being prioritised and in the majority of cases, support approved using a new streamlined process. In March 2022, 59% of applications to AtW were treated as a priority and allocated to a case manager for immediate action.In addition to cases in progress and those which are prioritised, there are currently c14,700 Access to Work applications outstanding where we have not yet made contact with the customer and which are outside of our usual timescale for initial contact. These cases are considered in the date order we received them.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Elephants

Ruth Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his international counterparts on global numbers of Asian elephants.

Ruth Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his counterparts in South Asia about their policies on protecting the Asian elephant.

Rebecca Pow: This Government continues to work with our international partners to support the conservation and protection of elephants globally. This includes providing funding through our Illegal Wildlife Trade Challenge Fund to support six local communities at key trade routes on the Myanmar-Thailand border in their efforts to deter poaching. We have also provided financial support through the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) to assist range states in registering, marking and tracing Asian elephants in order to make it harder for animals to be captured and traded illegally.

Biofuels: Carbon Emissions

Geraint Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate he has made of the real change in emissions resulting from the burning of biomass in the manufacturing and construction sectors between 2010 and 2020; what assessment he has made of the reasons for the increase in the burning of biomass between 2010 and 2020; and what steps he has taken to tackle that matter.

Jo Churchill: The National Atmospheric Emissions Inventory (NAEI) includes estimates of pollutant emissions from the combustion of biomass in manufacturing and construction sectors. For fine particulate matter, estimated emissions from this source have risen from 1.9 kilotons in 2010 to 11.6 kilotons in 2020. For oxides of nitrogen, estimated emissions have risen from 3.5 kilotons in 2010 to 9.8 kilotons in 2020. These estimates include all emissions occurring from the burning of biomass to generate energy for industrial use. Estimates on emissions of other pollutants are also available in the NAEI.These increases are largely a result of the increased role for biomass as part of the transition from fossil fuels to low carbon and renewable energy generation.All Large Combustion Plant burning biomass must comply with strict emission limits (including for particulate matter) and cannot operate unless issued with a permit by the Environment Agency. The implementation of the 2018 regulations on Medium Combustion Plant (MCP) ensures permits and emission limits will also be in place for all biomass combustion plant with a thermal input between 1 and 50 megawatts.Defra is considering setting tighter emissions standards for Medium Combustion Plant, and working with Innovate UK to stimulate research into technical solutions for particulate abatement from smaller scale combustion plant.The Government will publish a Biomass Strategy in 2022 that will set out how biomass can best contribute towards net zero across the economy, while protecting air quality and human health.

Air Pollution: Pollution Control

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he made of the potential merits of setting a target of 5 micrograms per cubic metre (μg m-3) to be met across England by 2030 in line with 2021 WHO Global Air Quality Guidelines; and for what reason he did not set that target.

Jo Churchill: We are taking an evidence-led approach to set targets which are stretching, achievable and appropriate for our national circumstances. Our evidence indicates that a level of 5 μgm-3 would be impossible to achieve in many locations due to the level of natural PM2.5 and pollution blown in from outside the country. Even in the absence of all man-made emissions of PM2.5 from within the UK, modelling indicates that concentrations of PM2.5 would still likely exceed 5 μgm-3. The cost-benefit-analysis, which assesses the merits of setting a more ambitious target, will be published with the evidence pack in due course.

Milk: Bottles

Derek Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has plans to promote the sale of milk in reusable glass bottles.

Jo Churchill: There are no current plans to exclusively promote the sale of milk in reusable glass bottles. However, Extended Producer Responsibility for packaging will place responsibility on packaging producers for the costs currently borne by local authorities in collecting and managing packaging from households, including milk bottles, from 2024. This will encourage producers to think carefully about the packaging they use and encourage the use of reusable and refillable packaging.

Walley's Quarry Landfill

Ruth Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to Walley's Quarry Landfill Site in Newcastle under Lyme, what discussions he has had with representatives of the Environment Agency on the effectiveness of the process for revoking permits at landfill sites.

Jo Churchill: I regularly discuss issues relating to Walley’s quarry with the Environment Agency and have also discussed them with my hon. Friend, the Member for Newcastle-under-Lyme, who has been tireless in raising his constituent’s concerns in this matter.

Food: Production

Mr Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will officially define food production as a Public Good; and if he will make a statement.

Victoria Prentis: Supporting domestic food production is a priority for the Government. The Agriculture Act 2020 includes powers to enable the Government to support farmers to invest in long-term food security by investing in the foundations of food production: healthy soil; water; and biodiverse ecosystems. Through the legal powers in the Act, the Government is also providing funding to farmers to be more productive and improve the health and welfare of their animals. In providing this financial assistance, the Act requires the Secretary of State to have regard to the need to encourage the production of food by producers in England and its production by them in an environmentally sustainable way. Recognising the importance of food production and security of supply, in the Agriculture Act 2020, the Government made a commitment to produce an assessment of our food security at least once every three years. The first UK Food Security Report was published in December 2021. This report provides a crucial evidence base for ongoing policy work, including around the Food Strategy. Last month, the Government set out a package of measures to support farmers respond to some of the secondary impacts we are seeing due to the Russian Invasion of Ukraine. In the coming weeks, the Food Strategy White Paper will set out the Government's ambition for the food system: to support exceptional British food and drink producers, and to protect and enhance the nation's health and the natural environment for generations to come.

Air Pollution: Pollution Control

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the implications for its policies of findings of research presented in the 2019 Air Quality: Assessing progress towards WHO guideline levels of PM2.5 in the UK report and 2022 Pathway to Healthy Air in the UK Report report, that WHO air pollution targets are achievable by 2030; and whether the Department plans to take that modelling into account as part of its consultation on the review of the Local Air Quality Management Policy Guidance.

Jo Churchill: We are using an evidence-based approach to inform our proposed PM2.5 targets. We recently launched the consultation for the targets under the Environment Act, seeking views from key stakeholders and individuals. These include two highly ambitious air quality targets, which will be further supported by stretching interim targets. With the introduction of these new PM2.5 targets, we are considering the role local authorities could play in reducing PM2.5. We have also launched a consultation on revised Policy Guidance to local authorities under our Local Air Quality Management framework. This reflects changes that were made to the Local Air Quality Management framework through the Environment Act 2021, which enter into force on 1 May 2022.

Meat: Imports

Virginia Crosbie: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to help ensure that imported meat (a) is correctly labelled to show country of origin and (b) has been produced to the standards required of domestic food producers.

Victoria Prentis: (a) Food Information to Consumers Regulations apply to all food sold on the UK market, including imported food, and require many foods to declare the origin on the label. This includes where the consumer would be misled if it were not given, and always for specific foods such as beef, veal, lamb, mutton, pork, goat, and poultry. Additionally, there are rules that help prevent the consumer from being misled about the origin of the primary ingredient of the food, although the majority of meat products sold at retail voluntarily provide the origin of the meat ingredients. The Government is committed to optimising the information that is available to consumers, including country of origin, so that they can make informed choices. We are actively working to improve labelling.(b) Retained legislation is in place to ensure the safety of meat and meat products from both domestic production and imported products. All imported meat and meat products are required to come from countries that have been approved as ensuring compliance with these food hygiene requirements and, specifically, from establishments that are approved and listed for export to the UK. Part of this approval is that the countries have an agreed plan to limit the use of, and residues from, veterinary medicines.The Government has committed to consult on what can be done through labelling to promote high standards and high welfare across the UK market. To this end, we recently ran a call for evidence to assess the potential impacts of different types of animal welfare labelling reform, including how this might apply to imported products as well as domestic products. We will publish a summary of responses and our proposed next steps in due course.

Pigs: Livestock Industry

Kate Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to tackle worker shortages in the pig sector.

Victoria Prentis: Defra continues to work closely with industry and other Government departments to understand labour supply and demand, including both permanent and seasonal workforce requirements, and to ensure there is a long-term strategy for the food and farming workforce, including for the pig sector. This includes a series of roundtable meetings hosted by Minister Prentis with stakeholders from across the pig sector supply chain. Since January 2021 the Skilled Worker visa route has been open to all nationals who wish to come to the UK for the purpose of working in a skilled role – including those in butchery. Last autumn the pig sector faced some specific challenges due to a combination of the COVID-19 pandemic, the loss of the Chinese export market for some processors, and access to labour issues. This included a shortage of skilled butchers which impacted the capacity of processors to kill and process pigs.  In recognition of this, the Government announced in November 2021 that additional, temporary visas would be available for pork butchers to work in the UK for up to 6 months in addition to the existing Skilled Worker visa route. While applications for these temporary visas are now closed, pork butchers can remain in the UK for six months from the date their visa was granted. In February 2022, the Home Office announced a series of visa concessions for temporary workers of Ukrainian nationality. Ukrainian nationals in temporary pork butcher jobs will have their leave in the UK extended to 31 December 2022 and will also be allowed to apply to the skilled worker route. In addition, food and farming businesses can continue to rely on EU nationals living in the UK with settled or pre-settled status. Over 5.7 million EU citizens and their families have been granted status under the EU Settlement Scheme. EU nationals who have settled status can continue to travel to the UK for work in 2022 and beyond. The Government also encourages the meat processing sector to pursue improvements to training offers, career options and wages to ensure that the sector draws on the large domestic labour pool in the UK, as well as investing in new technology across the industry. To support these efforts Defra is working with industry and the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) to raise awareness of career opportunities within the food and farming sectors among UK workers.

Agriculture: Subsidies

Mr Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will suspend incremental reductions in Basic Payment Scheme for 2022 and 2023 as a result of potential uncertainly and higher cost of production across all sectors.

Victoria Prentis: We will not change the profile of Direct Payments reductions.Area based subsidy gave half the farming budget to 10% of landowners. The Basic Payment Scheme did not support food production and did nothing to stop the decline in nature. We must seize the opportunity to establish a different system of rewards and incentives in agriculture. I am pleased that we are supporting farmers with the choices that they make for their own holdings.Last month we announced steps to assist farmers with the availability of fertilisers for the coming growing season, to help address uncertainty amongst growers and keep costs down for farmers.The planned changes to the use of urea fertiliser will be delayed by at least a year, helping farmers manage costs and giving them more time to adapt to pressures on the supply of ammonium nitrate fertilisers. We are also encouraging farmers to make use of organic fertilisers. Farmers will be further supported by new slurry storage grants introduced this year.Alongside this, we have published further details of the early rollout of Sustainable Farming Incentive. The scheme will help farmers move towards more sustainable farming practices over time; supporting farmers to build the health and fertility of their soil, and to reduce soil erosion which are essential for food production, helping to bolster food security and the longer-term resilience of the sector.

Dairy Farming

Stuart Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure that UK dairy farmers benefit from trade agreements and that UK industry standards are retained in those agreements.

Victoria Prentis: Global demand for British food and drink is enormous, because British food and drink is the best in the world. We are an independent trading nation and have already started seizing new opportunities for British farmers that were previously denied to us. Recent Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) with Australia and New Zealand have achieved complete tariff removal for exports of our dairy products into those countries. We aim to deliver the export potential in international markets by further improving access for UK dairy products, by raising awareness, and by encouraging broader participation in exporting in both scale and variety.The Government will help our farmers capitalise on global demand and will support companies through all stages of the export journey. Our online platform GREAT.gov.uk, the Export Support Service, Export Academy, UK Tradeshow Programme and UK Export Finance all serve our desire to grow UK exports.In September last year, to mark Back British Farming Day, Government announced a package of support including establishment of a new UK-wide Food and Drink Exports Council to bring together industry and governments in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland to boost exports from all parts of the UK and building export capability in the sector (especially in SMEs); and the appointment of dedicated agri-food attachés, providing on-the-ground support to unlock and drive export opportunities from strategic locations around the world, covering the growth markets of the Gulf, Africa, South America, and the Asia-Pacific region.The UK Government has made a clear manifesto commitment that in all of our trade negotiations, we will not compromise on our high environmental protection, animal welfare and food standards. The independent Trade and Agriculture Committee (TAC) recently published their report into the Australia free trade agreement, concluding that the deal reinforces our statutory protections in these areas.

Paraquat: Parkinson's Disease

Mr Steve Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment the Government has made of the potential role played by paraquat in the cause of Parkinson’s Disease.

Mr Steve Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential link between developing Parkinson’s disease and the use of the paraquat pesticide; and if he will make a statement.

Victoria Prentis: The Government’s first priority with regard to pesticides is to ensure that they will not harm people or pose unacceptable risks to the environment. A pesticide may only be placed on the market in Great Britain if the product has been authorised by our expert regulator, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), following a thorough risk assessment It has been illegal to sell or use paraquat in the UK since 2007. HSE has therefore not carried out a recent risk assessment. HSE is aware that several studies have been undertaken investigating associations between exposure to paraquat and Parkinson’s disease. HSE is not aware that a causal link has been demonstrated.

Animal Welfare

Bim Afolami: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent steps his Department has taken to improve animal welfare.

Victoria Prentis: This Government published the Action Plan for Animal Welfare on 12 May 2021, setting out over 40 commitments on animal welfare and conservation. Since its publication, a programme of primary and secondary legislation has started to take forward many measures, alongside some non-legislative reforms. We delivered our Manifesto commitment to increase the maximum prison sentence for animal cruelty from six months to five years through the Animal Sentencing Act. This came into force in June 2021. The Animal Welfare (Sentience) Bill has successfully completed its Parliamentary passage and is awaiting Royal Assent. It establishes an Animal Sentience Committee to consider how individual central government policy decisions take account of animal welfare. It also recognises that decapod crustaceans and cephalopod molluscs are sentient. The Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill has completed its Commons Committee Stage and, following the passing of a carryover motion by the House, will continue its passage in the next Session. The Bill delivers manifesto commitments relating to banning live exports, banning primates as pets, and tackling puppy smuggling. It also includes the new pet abduction offence in response to a recommendation from the cross-government Pet Theft Taskforce. We are supporting two Private Members Bills. The Animal (Penalty Notices) Bill is awaiting Royal Assent and the Glue Trap (Offences) Bill is awaiting its Third Reading in the House of Lords. Alongside these legislative reforms, Defra has launched Calls for Evidence on welfare labelling and the fur trade and launched consultations on puppy smuggling and zoo licensing standards. Defra has also published government responses to consultations on implementing and enforcing the Ivory Act, banning the shark fin trade, introducing welfare in transport reforms, mandating cat microchipping and banning trophy hunting.

Export Controls: Insects

Owen Thompson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to help remove trade barriers for UK-based companies exporting live insect eggs to EU countries.

Victoria Prentis: The sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) chapter of the UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement puts in place a framework that allows the UK and the EU to take informed decisions to reduce their respective SPS controls, with a commitment to avoid unnecessary barriers to trade. It is in both the UK’s and the EU’s interests to use this framework to reduce or streamline SPS checks where possible, ensuring that they are proportionate to the biosecurity risks. The trade in live insects where they are not for human consumption is subject to national rules, meaning the individual importing country sets the requirements in an SPS context. If they are for human consumption, then this is an EU harmonised area and is subject to the EU’s harmonised import controls. The UK has secured listing from the EU to export insects for human consumption and the relevant Export Health Certificate is available via EHC Online.

Nature Conservation: Education

Stuart Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Education on ensuring conservation education is taught in schools in England.

Rebecca Pow: I recently met with DfE's Minister Walker to discuss the importance of increasing children's connection and access to nature and to expand educational opportunities to support green skills and jobs. Defra and DfE worked closely on the Sustainability and Climate Change Strategy which was published on Thursday 21 April. The strategy includes the following commitments where conservation education will play a key role in delivery:1. A commitment from DfE to increase opportunities for all children and young people to spend time in nature, learn more about it, and get involved in improving their local environment.2. A commitment to build on the investment into the Children and Nature Programme by engaging with Defra on more research into outdoor learning and how to help schools deliver it. DfE also commit to embedding the learning from the Children and Nature Programme into their two new initiatives - the National Education Nature Park and the Climate Leaders Award. By 2030, they anticipate that participation in the National Education Nature Park, and increased opportunities to connect with nature, will increase the number of young people who become data scientists, ecologists and biologists.3. A goal to introduce a new natural history GCSE by 2025, which will include developing a deeper understanding of conservation. This will be accompanied by a pathway of learning for children up to GCSE level so that they have the knowledge and skills to undertake the GCSE. This includes a new Primary Science Model Curriculum with an emphasis on nature. This will raise the profile of education on nature and climate change and help to ensure that young people have the right skills to progress into a career in green jobs if they choose to do so.4. The Strategy recognises the 25 Year Environment Plan as a driver of green jobs and skills needs alongside the Net Zero Strategy and sets out the natural environment training on offer. DfE have also committed to working with Defra to help develop this offer where gaps are identified through the Green Jobs Delivery Group.

Water: Pollution Control

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what proportion of English waters are projected to reach good ecological status by 2027; and what steps he plans to take to achieve that target.

Rebecca Pow: Improving water quality is a government priority. We have committed to improve at least three quarters of our waters to close to their natural state as soon as practicable. The Environment Agency sets objectives for the ecological status of England's water bodies, including rivers, and the measures to achieve them in our river basin management plans. The objectives for water bodies over the next six-year cycle (2021-2027) are contained in the updated draft river basin management plans that were available until 22 April for statutory public consultation:https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/draft-river-basin-management-plans-2021We are also currently seeking views on a suite of Environment Act 2021 targets which includes new targets on water. These will improve the health of our rivers by reducing nutrient pollution and contamination from abandoned metal mines in water courses and improve water use efficiency. The Environment Act also places new duties on the water industry to take action on reducing harm from storm overflows. Water company investment in environmental improvements has been scaled up to £7.1 billion over the period 2020-25. Through the next Price Review (PR24) we are using the strategic policy statement to Ofwat, the economic regulator, to make the environment a top priority. This additional action will improve the quality of our rivers.

Food: Production

Kate Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that food production (a) is maintained at and (b) exceeds its current 60 per cent self-sufficiency level.

Victoria Prentis: The UK has a highly resilient food supply chain, as demonstrated throughout the COVID-19 response. It is well equipped to deal with situations with the potential to cause disruption. Our high degree of food security is built upon supply from diverse sources and strong domestic production as well as imports through stable trade routes. This provides us with the resilience we need in the face of risks such as adverse weather, animal or crop disease, or transport and border disruption.Our production to supply ratio remains high in comparison with historical levels. We produce 60% of all the food we need, and 74% of food which we can grow or rear in the UK for all or part of the year, and these figures have changed little over the last 20 years. The UK's year-round production includes cereals, meats, milk and some fresh produce. We have very high production to supply ratios in poultry, turnips, carrots, swedes, eggs and beef.Additionally, Defra has well established ways of working with the industry and across Government to monitor risks that may arise. This includes extensive, regular and ongoing engagement in preparedness for, and response to, issues with the potential to cause disruption to food supply chains. We are also working closely with the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, and the Secretaries of State have regular discussions about a range of issues including land use, planning and food production.Recognising the importance of food production and security of supply, in the Agriculture Act 2020, the Government made a commitment to produce an assessment of our food security at least once every three years. The first UK Food Security Report, published in December 2021, considers the UK's food supply sources overall, noting that domestic production and diversity of supply are both important to our food security. The Report does not contain policy recommendations but will serve as an evidence base for future policy work.Looking forward, the Food Strategy White Paper will set out Government's ambition for the food system.

Nature Conservation

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when he plans to publish recommendations from the Joint Nature Conservation Committee arising from the seventh Quinquennial Review of Schedules 5 and 8 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981.

Rebecca Pow: The Joint Nature Conservation Committee's (JNCC) seventh Quinquennial Review report was submitted to ministers on 19 April. It provides ministers with independent scientific advice on proposed changes to Schedules 5 and 8 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act. We will consider the recommendations carefully before publishing JNCC's advice later this year. We will consider the report alongside the responses from the Nature Green Paper consultation before any decisions are made.

Crops: Transport

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Transport on the prioritisation of fresh produce as part of Operation Brock.

Victoria Prentis: The Secretary of State has had regular discussions with Cabinet colleagues about traffic disruption at the border. Defra’s focus throughout the recent disruption has been to work with the Kent Resilience Forum to mitigate the disruption in Kent as quickly as possible to support all hauliers and Operation Brock has been effective in managing traffic flows.

Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty and National Parks: Reviews

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to implement his Department’s proposed legislative changes for National Parks and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, to drive nature recovery and deliver greater access to nature.

Rebecca Pow: We recently consulted on potential legislative changes to implement certain proposals in our response to the Landscapes Review. National Parks and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty will form an important part of the Nature Recovery Network. We will increase the extent of our protected areas and drive up their biodiversity value to support the delivery of government's commitment to halt nature’s decline and protect 30% of land for nature by 2030, and deliver increased access to nature. We will respond to the consultation setting out next steps.

Home Office

Visas: Ukraine

Stephen Farry: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, in what order visa applications under the Homes for Ukraine scheme are being processed.

Kevin Foster: Applications are normally processed in date order from when your documents were uploaded, or after an appointment at a visa application centre.

Visas: Ukraine

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the conditions are for Ukrainians in the UK on (a) family visas and (b) the Homes for Ukraine Scheme regarding leaving the UK and returning; and whether there are restrictions regarding their leave and visa conditions such as those in the UK on Tier 2 and Tier 4 visas.

Kevin Foster: Ukrainians in the UK under the Ukraine Family Scheme and Homes for Ukraine Scheme are not subject to conditions linked to leaving and returning to the UK. Successful applicants are granted three years’ leave to remain, and can work and access public services during this time.

Visas: Ukraine

Sarah Olney: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the Department has a policy in place to ensure that visa applications for members of the same Ukrainian family are processed simultaneously, to help ensure that whole families are able to receive their visas at the same time and travel together.

Kevin Foster: Applications are normally processed in date order from when documents were uploaded, or after an appointment at a Visa Application Centre (VAC).However, as part of the Home Office’s commitment to make it easier for applicants to apply to our schemes, Ukrainians with valid passports no longer need to go to a Visa Application Centre to give their biometrics before they come to the UK. This revision to the process can mean that applicants who submitted their applications at the same time, but via different biometric routes, may not receive their visas at the same time.

Visas: Afghanistan

Margaret Ferrier: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what progress her Department has made in progressing Afghanistan related cases, in the context of the UK co-hosting the United Nation’s pledging summit on Afghanistan’s humanitarian crisis.

Kevin Foster: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Refugees: Ukraine

Deidre Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to speed up the arrival of Ukrainian refugees in the UK who are receiving ongoing medical treatment.

Kevin Foster: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Visas: Applications

Stephen Kinnock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of allowing visa applicants to receive a digital permission to travel document.

Kevin Foster: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Visas: Seasonal Workers

Carla Lockhart: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people applied to the Government's temporary visa scheme for poultry workers, pork butchers or heavy goods vehicle drivers to transport food.

Kevin Foster: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Visas: Ukraine

Julian Sturdy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate she has made of the total number of hours staff in her Department spent on processing visa applications for Ukrainian refugees during the weeks commencing (a) 7, (b) 14, (c) 21 and (d) 28 March 2022.

Julian Sturdy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many full-time equivalent staff in her Department were processing visa applications for Ukrainian refugees during the weeks commencing (a) 7, (b) 14, (c) 21 and (d) 28 March 2022.

Kevin Foster: We have received thousands of applications submitted to one of the fastest and largest visa programmes in UK history.We are committed to ensuring our operational teams have the resources they need to run an efficient and effective system. We actively monitor workflows to ensure sufficient resources are in place to meet caseworking demand of the Ukraine Family Scheme and the Homes for Ukraine Scheme which we have launched in response to the refugee crisis. The Home Office and the commercial provider operating our Visa Application Centres have surged staff across Europe to meet demand and UKVI staff in the UK are working seven days a week to process applications.To capture the detailed information on staff numbers and hours worked would incur disproportionate cost.

Visas: Applications

Julian Sturdy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many staff were working in European visa centres during the weeks commencing (a) 7, (b) 14, (c) 21 and (d) 28 March 2022.

Kevin Foster: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Biometric Residence Permits and Work Permits

Dame Meg Hillier: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many (a) biometric residence cards, (b) biometric residence permits and (c) frontier working permits were issued in the last 12 months for which data is available.

Kevin Foster: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Passports: Applications

Gavin Newlands: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many applications for British passports were awaiting issuance more than (a) 10 weeks, (b) 14 weeks, (c) 18 weeks, (d) 26 weeks and (e) 39 weeks after the application as of 1 April 2022.

Kevin Foster: The information requested is not currently held in a reportable format and could therefore only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Passports: Applications

Gavin Newlands: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the current (a) median and (b) mean lengths of times are between a passport renewal application being received by her Department and its issuance to the applicant.

Kevin Foster: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Passports: Applications

Gavin Newlands: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the current (a) median and (b) mean lengths of time are between an application for a new passport being received by her Department and its issuance to the applicant.

Kevin Foster: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Passports: Applications

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the current average processing time is an (a) new and (b) renewed passport for (i) children and (ii) adults.

Kevin Foster: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Visas: Ukraine

Stuart C McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make it her policy to enable (a) Ukrainians and (b) Ukrainians with a biometric passport to travel to the UK without a visa.

Kevin Foster: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Visas: Ukraine

Stuart C McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make it her policy to enable Ukrainians in the UK whose visas expired prior to January 2022 to apply for the Ukraine Extension Scheme.

Kevin Foster: Ukrainian nationals will only be able to qualify under the Ukraine Extension Scheme if they were in the UK with immigration permission on 18 March 2022, or if their last permission ended after 1 January 2022. The Government has no plans to change these criteria, although those who's visas expired before this date may be eligible for other routes to regularise their status, providing they meet the eligibility criteria.

Passports: Applications

Charlotte Nichols: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many passport applications are currently pending approval.

Kevin Foster: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Windrush Compensation Scheme

Kate Osamor: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, for what reason payments to Windrush Compensation Scheme claimants are delayed in the event that they request a review of a decision under that scheme.

Kevin Foster: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Windrush Compensation Scheme

Kate Osamor: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many Windrush Compensation Scheme claimants have requested a review of a decision under that scheme; and of those how many have received a decision from the adjudicator as at 14 April 2022.

Kevin Foster: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Homes for Ukraine Scheme

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of temporarily employing staff at the weekend to ensure that applications to the Homes for Ukraine scheme are processed as quickly as possible.

Kevin Foster: UKVI has already redeployed caseworking staff in the UK to work seven days a week to process Ukraine applications, and has temporarily loaned in staff from other departments like HM Revenue and Customs to help manage demand. Overtime opportunities are also available for weekend working.

Temporary Accommodation: Migrants

Gordon Henderson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many migrants were housed in hotels in the latest period for which figures are available.

Kevin Foster: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Visas: Ukraine

Sarah Olney: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many Ukrainian families have applied for visas under the Homes for Ukraine and Family Visa Scheme; and of those applications how many families have had visas approved for every family member.

Kevin Foster: Information on the number of visas granted under the Ukraine Family Scheme and the Homes for Ukraine Scheme can be found in our published data on the GOV.UK webpage: Ukraine Schemes: application data - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)Information requested which is not contained within this published data is not routinely captured. To capture numbers would require a manual trawl of data and to do so would incur disproportionate cost.

Asylum: Applications

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of integrating asylum applicants in local communities while those people are waiting for their application to be processed.

Kevin Foster: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Asylum: Linton-on-Ouse

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the policy of segregation at the proposed reception centre for asylum seekers at Linton on Ouse on (a) the asylum seekers at that centre and (b) local communities.

Kevin Foster: The Home Office does not have a segregation policy for the Linton-on-Ouse accommodation site. The site is designed to be as self-sufficient as possible, minimising the impact on local communities and services. We will work closely with local political leaders and their officials and other local partners to manage the impact on the local area. Those living at the site will be free to come and go but are expected to be on site overnight.

Refugees: Housing

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make a comparative estimate of the cost of (a) a potential homes for refugees scheme, whereby UK residents are able to open their homes to refugees irrespective of their country of origin, and (b) accommodating a person in a bridging hotel according to costs as of 21 April 2022.

Kevin Foster: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Refugees: Housing

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has had discussions with Cabinet colleagues on the potential merits of introducing a homes for refugees programme whereby UK residents are able to open their homes to refugees irrespective of their country of origin.

Kevin Foster: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Immigration: EU Nationals

Stella Creasy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many applications have been made for pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme from people who previously held a Residence Card under the old EU Regulations; and how many of those applications have been refused pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme.

Kevin Foster: The Home Office publishes data on the EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS) in the ‘EU Settlement Scheme statistics’.The latest published information on EUSS applications received and applications concluded by outcome type to 31 December 2021, can be found in tables EUSS_01 and EUSS_03 available at: EU Settlement Scheme quarterly statistics, December 2021 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).Information on EUSS applications from people who previously held a residence card issued under Immigration (European Economic Area) Regulations 2016 is not recorded in a reportable form on our case management system and is therefore not available.

Immigration: Children

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether children with limited Leave to Remain may join football academies and register for academy leagues.

Kevin Foster: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Refugees: Ukraine

Brendan O'Hara: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will ensure the Ukraine Family Scheme providing financial support to Ukrainian people seeking refuge and the £350 per month payment to sponsors is equivalent to the Homes for Ukraine Scheme and the Scottish and Welsh government's Super Sponsor Scheme.

Kevin Foster: Ukrainian nationals coming to the UK under the Ukraine Family Scheme are given access to work, benefits and public services as laid down in Appendix Ukraine to the Immigration Rules, details of which can be found at:Immigration Rules Appendix Ukraine Scheme - Immigration Rules - Guidance - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).There is no specific financial support available to those who choose to sponsor family members to join them in the UK. This includes those sponsoring under the Ukraine Family Scheme where there is no requirement to provide accommodation.Therefore the Government has not extended the £350 per month ‘thank you’ payment offered to those who are willing to offer a home to refugees arriving in the UK under the Homes for Ukraine and Super Sponsor Schemes.Those sponsoring family members able to offer appropriate accommodation can choose to sponsor their family members under the Homes for Ukraine Scheme or Super Sponsor Schemes in order to become eligible for the ‘thank you’ payment.

Visas: Ukraine

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Homes for Ukraine scheme, for what reason there is a delay between a positive decision to issues a visa and the provision of a Permission to Travel document.

Tom Pursglove: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Homes for Ukraine Scheme: Telephone Services

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with regards to her Department's MP hotline and Option 2 (Homes for Ukraine scheme), what the average call wait time is until calls are answered.

Tom Pursglove: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Refugees: Applications

Stuart C McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to proposals in the Nationality and Borders Bill on Differential treatment for refugees, if she will make it her policy that good cause must be interpreted in the context of international law including the Refugee Convention.

Tom Pursglove: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Refugees: Applications

Stuart C McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to proposals in the Nationality and Borders Bill on Differential treatment for refugees, if she will make it her policy to ensure that that decision makers have discretion to grant a more generous form of leave even to someone who does not meet the criteria for a group one refugee.

Tom Pursglove: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Refugees: Applications

Stuart C McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to proposals in the Nationality and Borders Bill on Differential treatment for refugees, if she will make it her policy to require decision makers to assess whether given the personal circumstances of the individual applicant they could reasonably believe that they would not be safe in the country concerned.

Tom Pursglove: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Refugees: Applications

Stuart C McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to proposals in the Nationality and Borders Bill on Differential treatment for refugees, if she will make it her policy to require decision makers to make proactive enquiries into the availability, accessibility and adequacy of status determination procedures in the relevant country or countries through which the applicant has passed when deciding whether a person is a group one or group two refugee.

Tom Pursglove: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Refugees: Applications

Stuart C McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to proposals in the Nationality and Borders Bill on Differential treatment for refugees, what standard of proof will apply for establishing whether a person is a group one or group two refugee.

Tom Pursglove: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Refugees: Applications

Stuart C McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to proposals in the Nationality and Borders Bill on Differential treatment for refugees, on whom the burden of proof will fall in relation to establishing whether a person is a group one or group two refugee.

Tom Pursglove: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Refugees: Ukraine

Stephen Farry: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department requires undocumented Ukrainians living in the UK to comply with immigration enforcement measures, including detention and the requirement to report at immigration centres.

Tom Pursglove: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Asylum: Rwanda

Stephen Kinnock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will publish details of the (a) procurement process for awarding the contract to transfer asylum seekers to Rwanda under the UK-Rwanda Migration and Economic Development Partnership and (b) company that has been awarded that contract.

Tom Pursglove: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Deportation: Rwanda

Stuart C McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people who were (a) nationals and (b) not nationals of Rwanda were removed to that country in each of the last twelve months.

Tom Pursglove: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Asylum: Rwanda

Stewart Malcolm McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she received assurances that Rwanda will release the findings from its investigations into the shooting of 12 people at Kiziba refugee camp in 2018 prior to signing the Memorandum of Understanding relating to the processing of asylum seekers in that country.

Tom Pursglove: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Asylum: Rwanda

Stuart C McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people have been removed to Rwanda under paragraph 345C of the Immigration Rules since 1 January 2022; and how many of these removals were of persons who had neither been previously present or had a connection with Rwanda within the terms of that paragraph.

Tom Pursglove: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Home Office: Information Officers

Stuart C McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many communications staff in her Department are employed (a) full time, (b) part time and (c) under flexible working arrangements.

Kit Malthouse: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Home Office: Information Officers

Stuart C McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much her Department spends on communications staff on average each year.

Kit Malthouse: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Refugees: Ukraine

Stuart C McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make it her policy to enable people transitioning to the Ukraine Extension Scheme to be joined by family members under the Ukraine Family Scheme.

Kevin Foster: The UK-based family member for individuals applying to the Ukraine Family Scheme must be: a British National; someone settled in the UK; someone from the EU, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway or Switzerland who has pre-settled status and started living in the UK before 1 January 2021; or someone with refugee status or humanitarian protection in the UK. The Government has no plans to change these criteria.However, individuals with at least six months’ permission to be in the UK can sponsor other Ukrainians under the Homes for Ukraine Scheme, provided they meet the eligibility criteria.

Refugees: Ukraine

Deidre Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of extending the £350 per month payment to refugees arriving in the UK through the Ukraine Family Scheme.

Deidre Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what financial support the Government is providing to refugees arriving in the UK through the Ukraine Family Scheme.

Kevin Foster: The department have not made any assessment of the potential merits of extending the £350 per month thank you payment to refugees arriving in the UK through the Ukraine Family Scheme as this is a matter for the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities.Nationals of Ukraine coming to the UK under the Ukraine Family Scheme will be given access to work, benefits and public services as laid down in the Immigration Rules Appendix Ukraine, details of which can be found at:Immigration Rules Appendix Ukraine Scheme - Immigration Rules - Guidance - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Refugees: Ukraine

Stephen Farry: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether Ukrainian nationals who have irregularly entered Northern Ireland via the Republic of Ireland since the invasion of Ukraine, and who subsequently return to the Republic of Ireland to make an out-of-country application for the Homes for Ukraine Scheme or Ukraine Family Scheme, must declare their recent irregular presence in the UK; and what impact that irregular presence would have on the outcome of applications to those schemes.

Kevin Foster: Applicants will need to declare relevant information on their forms, including regarding any previous UK travel history. Each application under the Homes for Ukraine Scheme and Ukraine Family Scheme will be considered on its individual merits.

Visas: Ukraine

Julian Sturdy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many visas for Ukrainian refugees approved have been approved each day since the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Kevin Foster: Information on the number of visas granted under the Ukraine Family Scheme and the Homes for Ukraine Scheme which were launched in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine can be found in our published data on the GOV.UK webpage: Ukraine Schemes: application data - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).Statistical information regarding the number of Ukrainian nationals applying for UK visas prior to the launch of the Ukraine Schemes is regularly released by the Home Office. The latest published statistics can be found here: Immigration statistics, year ending December 2021 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Immigration Controls: EEA Nationals

Dame Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many times have immigration enforcement encountered EEA nationals and their family members without status under the EUSS and been provided with a 28 Day Notice for EUSS letter since 1 July 2021.

Kevin Foster: To maintain the highest standards of accuracy, the Home Office prefers to refer to published data, as this has been subject to rigorous quality assurance under National Statistics protocols prior to publication. Information about 28 Day notices is not currently available in our published data although we aim to include details in future publications. Our published data is available at the following link and currently includes data about EU nationals, the EU Settlement Scheme and returns more broadly. Summary of latest statistics - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Immigration: Veterans

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Written Statement of 23 February 2022, HCWS624 on Outcome of Public Consultation on Settlement Fees for Non-UK Service Personnel, whether non-UK veterans living outside the UK with (a) spent and (b) unspent convictions will qualify under the new policy.

Kevin Foster: The new policy announced following the public consultation on settlement fees for non-UK service personnel implemented a fee waiver for certain non-UK veterans applying for settlement in the UK. There has been no change to the suitability criteria: those with convictions covered by Part 2, paragraphs 8 to 10b of Appendix Armed Forces will be refused. The fee waiver policy already applies to non-UK veterans living outside the UK who apply for settlement in the UK more than two years after discharge where the requirements of Part 3, paragraph 11 of Appendix Armed Forces are met.

Ansar Allah

Alison Thewliss: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the potential consequences of proscribing Ansar Allah as a terrorist organisation on providing humanitarian assistance.

Damian Hinds: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Visas: Ukraine

Stephen Kinnock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment she has made of the average time between a successful visa application centre appointment for a Ukraine Family Scheme visa and the issuing of that visa.

Stephen Kinnock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment she has made of the average waiting time between a person submitting an application for a Ukraine Family Scheme visa and their appointment at a visa application centre.

Stephen Kinnock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many Ukrainians are currently waiting for a visa application centre appointment.

Stephen Kinnock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many Ukrainians had visa application appointments in the last seven days for which data is available.

Stephen Kinnock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many and what proportion of Ukrainian refugees attending visa applications centres are (a) children and (b) adults.

Kevin Foster: Information on the number of visas granted under the Ukraine Family Scheme and Homes for Ukraine Scheme can be found in our published data on the GOV.UK webpage: Ukraine Schemes: application data - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).Information requested that is not contained within this published data is not routinely captured. To capture numbers would require a manual trawl of data and to do so would incur disproportionate costWe have received thousands of applications submitted to one of the fastest and largest visa programmes in UK history.We are processing applications as quickly as possible and extra caseworkers have been brought in to meet demand. The Home Office is continually making efforts to simplify the application process for Ukrainian refugees, and keeps this under regular review.

Martin Banks

Mr Ben Bradshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has made an assessment of the circumstances leading to the detention of journalist, Martin Banks, by the UK Border Force on 26 February 2022.

Damian Hinds: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Visas: Ukraine

Mohammad Yasin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to reduce the time between a visa application centre making a decision in respect of a Ukrainian visa application and issuing a permission to travel letter.

Kevin Foster: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Refugees: Afghanistan

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to ensure that the faith needs of Afghan refugees are met during the month of Ramadan.

Kevin Foster: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Asylum: Temporary Accommodation

Stephen Kinnock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many asylum seekers living in contingency accommodation are in placed each local authority.

Stephen Kinnock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many and what proportion of the asylum seekers in contingency accommodation are (a) single men, (b) single women, (c) accompanied children with parents or guardians and (d) unaccompanied minors.

Stephen Kinnock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many asylum seekers there are in in contingency accommodation across the UK.

Kevin Foster: The latest published Immigration Statistics detail the number of asylum seekers accommodated in each local authority area. These statistics can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/asylum-and-resettlement-datasets#asylum-support(opens in a new tab) Data is published on a quarterly basis, with the latest information published 24 February 2022. The next quarterly figures are due to be released in May 2022. The Home Office does not publish a breakdown of these statistics which disaggregates the number of asylum seekers accommodated in a specific type of accommodation or break downs in gender and age. These figures are not available in a reportable format and to provide the information could only be done at disproportionate cost.

Hate Crime

Adam Afriyie: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many non-crime hate incidents the police have recorded in 2022.

Rachel Maclean: The Home Office collects and publishes information on the number of hate crime offences recorded by the police in England and Wales. Information is not collected on non-hate crime incidents.

Independent Child Trafficking Guardianship Service

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent steps she has taken to expand access to independent child trafficking guardians to all local authorities in England and Wales.

Rachel Maclean: The Government is committed to delivering the national rollout of the Independent Child Trafficking Guardians (ICTG) service. To date, a staggered approach to rollout has been adopted with robust built-in evaluations to ensure the ICTG service meets the needs of the vulnerable children it supports.In May 2021, the ICTG service was further expanded to cover in total two thirds of all local authorities across England and Wales, focussing on the areas of highest need.As part of this phase of the rollout, we are undertaking the targeted testing of recommendations made by the Independent Review of the Modern Slavery Act 2015. An independent evaluation will be carried out to look at the added value of these changes and consider appropriate next steps.

Domestic Abuse: Males

Wera Hobhouse: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps the Government is taking to help ensure the widespread provision of services for men experiencing domestic abuse.

Rachel Maclean: Domestic abuse is a terrible crime and tackling it is a key commitment for this Government. Our landmark Domestic Abuse Act and Tackling Domestic Abuse Plan will provide further protections to the millions of people who experience domestic abuse, as well as strengthen measures to tackle perpetrators. The Plan commits over £230 million of funding to address four key areas to improve the response; Prioritising Prevention, Supporting Victims, Pursuing Perpetrators and creating a Stronger System. The Plan’s approach speaks to all victims of domestic abuse and will help and support all victims, including men.The Government is committed to supporting all victims of domestic abuse regardless of gender and the statutory definition of domestic abuse introduced by the Act is gender neutral. Although male victims are included in the Tackling Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy, and Tackling Domestic Abuse Plan, the Government recognises that there can be some specific challenges that men and boys face in relation to domestic abuse.In 2019 we published the first ever cross-Government Male Victims Position Statement, a dedicated statement to recognise the needs of male victims, and to clarify and strengthen our response to them. In March 2022 we published a refreshed version of this document which took into account the feedback from the recent Call for Evidence, recognising the additional challenges which can be faced by men and boys who are victims of these crimes.The Government funds a range of organisations that provide specialist support to victims. From 2019-2022, the Government has allocated £168,000 a year for the Men’s Advice Line, the national helpline for male victims of domestic abuse, run by the charity Respect. This service offers advice and emotional support to male victims of domestic abuse and signposts to other vital services that help keep them, and their children, safe.The Men’s Advice line is comprised of a confidential helpline, email and webchat service. In 2021, they handled over 10,000 calls, resulting in increased safety for male victims and their children. This is achieved through practical support including safety planning, accessing housing options and signposting to free legal advice as well as emotional and listening support. In addition to this amount, the Government provided a funding uplift in 2020/21 of a further £151,000 to support the continued running of the service during the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2021/22, the Government provided another uplift of £64,500 to fund additional activity.

Sexual Harassment: Public Places

Ms Harriet Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans her Department has to make public sexual harassment a criminal offence.

Rachel Maclean: Sexual harassment in public places is an appalling practice, which this Government is committed to tackling. Women and girls have the right to both be and feel safe on our streets.As set out in the Tackling Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) Strategy, published last July, we have been looking carefully at where there may be gaps in existing law and how a specific offence for public sexual harassment could address those.As a result of this work, last month we announced that by the summer recess we would launch a public consultation on whether there should be a new offence of public sexual harassment.In the VAWG Strategy we also committed to non-legislative actions to help tackle this issue. Following this, in December the College of Policing published a new advice product for police officers, advising them about the preventative strategies and criminal offences which they can use to respond to reports of various different types of public sexual harassment. The Crown Prosecution Service will also soon be publishing an updated version of its legal guidance on public order offences, to include specific material on public sexual harassment.In addition, on 1 March the Home Office launched the ‘Enough’ communications campaign, which seeks to change public attitudes and tolerance towards crimes such as public sexual harassment and help create an atmosphere in which women and girls can report such crimes to the police with confidence.

Sexual Harassment: Public Places

Ms Harriet Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the availability of potential legal routes to make public sexual harassment a crime.

Rachel Maclean: Sexual harassment in public places is an appalling practice, which this Government is committed to tackling. Women and girls have the right to both be and feel safe on our streets.As set out in the Tackling Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) Strategy, published last July, we have been looking carefully at where there may be gaps in existing law and how a specific offence for public sexual harassment could address those.As a result of this work, last month we announced that by the summer recess we would launch a public consultation on whether there should be a new offence of public sexual harassment.In the VAWG Strategy we also committed to non-legislative actions to help tackle this issue. Following this, in December the College of Policing published a new advice product for police officers, advising them about the preventative strategies and criminal offences which they can use to respond to reports of various different types of public sexual harassment. The Crown Prosecution Service will also soon be publishing an updated version of its legal guidance on public order offences, to include specific material on public sexual harassment.In addition, on 1 March the Home Office launched the ‘Enough’ communications campaign, which seeks to change public attitudes and tolerance towards crimes such as public sexual harassment and help create an atmosphere in which women and girls can report such crimes to the police with confidence.

Asylum: Deportation

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people were removed from the UK after their asylum application was rejected in each of the last three years.

Tom Pursglove: The Home Office publishes statistics on the number of returns from the UK in the ‘Immigration Statistics Quarterly Release’. The latest data on asylum-related returns from the UK is published in table Ret_05 of the ‘Returns Summary Tables’.Asylum-related returns relate to cases where there has been an asylum claim at some stage prior to the return. This will include asylum seekers whose asylum claims have been refused and who have exhausted any rights of appeal, those returned under third-country provisions, as well as those granted asylum/protection but removed for other reasons (such as criminality).

Rwanda: Immigration Controls

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies on (a) treatment of detainees including migrants, (b) democracy and (c) other human rights issues in Rwanda of the Government’s plans to establish a migrant deportation policy with that country; and if she will make an assessment of the impact of that policy on the credibility of statements by the Government on human rights violations in other countries.

Tom Pursglove: We are confident that the Migration and Economic Development Partnership is fully compliant with domestic and international law, including human rights law. We do not see this Partnership as incompatible with UK positions on human rights, and therefore do not foresee any impact on the credibility of our statements on human rights violations in other countries – as evidenced by recent statements on Ukraine. Rwanda is a State Party to the 1951 UN Refugee Convention and the seven core UN Human Rights Conventions. It is recognised globally for its record on welcoming and integrating migrants, including over 500 people evacuated from Libya under the EU’s Emergency Transit Mechanism working in partnership with the UNHCR. Under this agreement, they will process claims in accordance with the UN Refugee Convention, national and international human rights laws.

Shoplifting

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many shoplifting offences have been recorded by the police in each year since 2014.

Kit Malthouse: The number of shoplifting offences recorded by the police forces in England and Wales in each year is presented in the table below.Shoplifting OffencesShoplifting2014325,3732015333,5672016359,2452017385,8822018375,6302019367,1022020258,960January 2021 to September 2021186,271The number of shoplifting offences recorded by the police forces in England and Wales in each year is published on the Home Office website athttps://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/police-recorded-crime-open-data-tables

Death

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate he has made on the number of suspicious deaths following falls from residential buildings in the last 10 years.

Kit Malthouse: The Home Office collects information on the number of homicide offences recorded by the police in England and Wales. Information is not collected on suspicious deaths that do not result in the recording of a homicide offence.

Coronavirus: Fixed Penalties

Dr Rupa Huq: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of implementing a retrospective appeals process for people who were issued fixed penalty notice fines during periods of covid-19 lockdown.

Kit Malthouse: The Government believes a robust set of review processes were put in place for Fixed Penalty Notices (FPNs) issued and individuals were given the opportunity to contest FPNs at various stages of the process. The police had no power to enforce FPN payment, this power resides with the courts.Each FPN was subject to at least two reviews prior to being formally administered to ensure that it complied with the regulations and meet the level of evidence required. Once issued, individuals can make representations to the issuing force. It was a matter for the respective force to consider how to deal with any representations received.If an FPN was not paid within the 28-day statutory payment period, the offence for which the FPN was issued could be prosecuted in court if the prosecuting authority believed they had sufficient evidence for a prosecution.Challenge to a FPN can also be taken by way of judicial review in High Court, where a judge would be asked to decide whether or not the police acted lawfully in issuing the fine. If the judge decided that the police did not act lawfully, then the fine can be cancelled.

Noise: Nuisance

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to her Answer of 28 March 2022 to Question 145813, on Noise: Nuisance, and with reference to page 233 of the Government's white paper on Levelling Up in the United Kingdom, when she plans to ensure that police in England and Wales have the same powers to deal with noise complaints as are already available in Scotland.

Kit Malthouse: The Government is committed to tackling and preventing anti-social behaviour (ASB), including noise nuisance. We know the serious impact that persistent noise nuisance can have on both individuals and communities.We have provided the police, local authorities, and other local agencies with a range of tools and powers that they can use to respond quickly and effectively to ASB and noise nuisance through the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014.Home Office statutory guidance was updated in January 2021. It supports local areas and police to make effective use of the anti-social behaviour powers to tackle ASB and noise nuisance. The guidance highlights the importance of multi-agency approaches.The Levelling Up White Paper commits the UK Government to ensuring that police in England and Wales have the same powers to deal with noise complaints as are already available in Scotland. This will be done when Parliamentary time allows.

National Wildlife Crime Unit

Dame Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will commit to (a) establishing secure and (b) increasing funding for the National Wildlife Crime Unit as recommended by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime's report entitled, Wildlife and Forest Crime Analytic Toolkit Report: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, published in August 2021.

Tom Pursglove: The National Wildlife Crime Unit (NWCU) helps prevent and detect wildlife crime, by obtaining and disseminating intelligence, undertaking analysis which highlights local or national threats and directly assisting law enforcement in their investigations.Since 2016, the Home Office has provided £136,000 annually to the National Wildlife Crime Unit to bolster work preventing wildlife crime both domestically and internationally.From August 2021 the Home Office will provide additional funding to the NWCU to tackle money laundering related to the International Wildlife Trade (IWT), aligning directly to G7 commitments to intensify the combating of illicit finance from IWT. This is intended to be a three-year project. Funding will be made available via the Home Office spending review settlement.

Asylum: Rwanda

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate she has made of the (a) cost and (b) carbon impact per migrant of her proposals to transport and detain asylum seekers in Rwanda.

Tom Pursglove: Under the Migration and Economic Development Partnership, people who are relocated to Rwanda will not be detained there. The UK will provide funding for the processing costs for each person relocated there. Every person’s needs are different, and funding will only be provided while a person remains in Rwanda. The UK remains committed to honouring its obligations on climate change, including those contained in the Glasgow Climate Pact. This is unaffected by bilateral agreements signed by the UK, such as the one recently agreed with the Government of Rwanda. The UK continues to work closely with the Government of Rwanda on climate issues, including ahead of the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting in June.

Clearsprings Ready Homes: Contracts

Kate Osamor: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, under what terms in her Department's contract with Clearsprings Ready Homes would early termination of that contract be permitted.

Kate Osamor: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what measures are in place to ensure the safety of asylum seekers housed by Clearsprings Ready Homes.

Kate Osamor: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether there are mechanisms in place to enable asylum seekers to contact her Department to report unsafe or unsuitable conditions in respect of housing provided by Clearsprings Ready Homes.

Kate Osamor: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of services provided to her Department by Clearsprings Ready Homes.

Kate Osamor: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking in response to reports that housing for asylum seekers provided by Clearsprings Ready Homes has been deemed unsafe and unsuitable.

Kate Osamor: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many complaints her Department has received from people housed by Clearsprings Ready Homes in each year between 2010 and 2022.

Kate Osamor: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what measures are in place to (a) monitor the performance of Clearsprings Ready Homes and (b) ensure the safety and suitability of the housing they provide.

Kevin Foster: The total expenditure on asylum accommodation is published in the Home Office Annual Report and Accounts, available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/ho-annual-reports-and-accounts.This link includes details on the total value of the Government's contract with Clearsprings Ready Homes from 2022 to its current expiration date.

Clearsprings Ready Homes: Contracts

Kate Osamor: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the total value of the Government's contract with Clearsprings Ready Homes is from 2022 to its current expiration date.

Kevin Foster: The total expenditure on asylum accommodation is published in the Home Office Annual Report and Accounts, available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/ho-annual-reports-and-accounts.This link includes details on the total value of the Government's contract with Clearsprings Ready Homes from 2022 to its current expiration date.

Detention Centres: Rwanda

Ruth Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has had discussions with the Welsh Government regarding her proposals to open UK detention centres in Rwanda.

Tom Pursglove: We are not opening UK detention centres in Rwanda. People will lead dignified and fulfilled lives there and will be free to come and go. People will not be detained in Rwanda. While immigration is a reserved matter, we have met with counterparts in the Welsh Government regarding the New Plan for Immigration announcements and will continue to do so as part of our regular engagement with the devolved administrations.

Visas: Ukraine

Julian Sturdy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has made changes to her Department's policy on overtime to assist with the processing of visas for Ukrainian refugees.

Kevin Foster: The opportunity to work overtime has been offered to all staff working on our Ukraine related schemes.

Asylum: Applications

Ruth Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many outstanding asylum claims there are as of 13 April 2022.

Kevin Foster: The Home Office publishes data on asylum and resettlement in the ‘Immigration Statistics Quarterly Release’. Data on the number of asylum applications awaiting an initial decision or further review (outstanding applications) are published in table Asy_D03 of the asylum and resettlement detailed datasets.Information on how to use the datasets can be found in the ‘Notes’ page of the workbook. The latest data relates to December 2021. Data for the period relating to January – March 2022 is set to be published on the 26 May 2022 and data for the period relating to April – June 2022 is set to be published on 25 August 2022.Information on future Home Office statistical release dates can be found in the ‘Research and statistics calendar’.

Visas: Kenya

Richard Fuller: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of the English language requirement for applications for student visas from Kenya; and whether she has plans to review that requirement for those applicants.

Kevin Foster: Kenya is not included on the Majority English Speaking Country (MESC) for immigration purposes, so applicants from Kenya must meet the English language requirement in another way.Student applicants are currently required to show a B1 or B2 competency level on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages, depending on their course of study. There are several ways they can prove this:having shown they meet the requirement in a previous immigration application; orpassing a Secure English Language Test at an approved test centre; orholding a degree-level qualification which was taught in English; orhaving their chosen university or other Higher Educational Institution self-certify their level of English ability; orhaving a GCSE, A-level, Scottish National Qualification at level 4 or 5 or, Scottish Higher or Advanced Higher, in English following education at a UK school begun when they were under-18.Our assessment is these options provide an appropriate means for applicants for student visas from Kenya to meet the English language requirement.

UK Visas and Immigration

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the average waiting time is for calls to the MP UK Visas and Immigration helpline.

Kevin Foster: Average wait times in January were 1 min 30 seconds and February 2 min 55 seconds, however the Ukraine crisis has seen call volumes double in March leading to an increase in average waiting times to 15min 39 seconds.We recognise during peak periods waiting times can be considerably longer than this due to an increase in call demand since the beginning of the Ukraine crisis. We are seeking to address this and return to a more normal service standard.

Visas: Ukraine

Stephen Farry: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether undocumented Ukrainians living in the UK are eligible for the (a) Ukraine Family Scheme, (b) Ukraine Extension Scheme or (c) Homes for Ukraine Scheme; and what support her Department plans to provide to those people.

Kevin Foster: Undocumented Ukrainians living in the UK are not eligible for any of the Government’s three Ukraine Schemes. They may though be able to regularise their status through other routes which are available to those who are undocumented in the UK, subject to meeting the relevant requirements.

Refugees: Ukraine

Darren Henry: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that Ukrainian children and young people can enter the UK in the event that their parent or guardian does not hold their passport or birth certificate without that child or young person having to re-enter Ukraine or attend a visa application centre in another country in Europe.

Kevin Foster: All Ukrainians, including children, who do not have a valid Ukrainian international passport must attend a Visa Application Centre in person and provide their biometric information, as they will need a secure Entry Clearance document which will convert to permission to enter upon arrival at the UK border.This means we can properly identify a child brought into the UK and link them to their parents or carers and help to prevent child exploitation and trafficking, which is an essential safeguard for children crossing international borders.

Members: Correspondence

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when her Department plans to respond to the email from the hon. Member for Sheffield, Heeley dated 2 March 2022, case reference LH19745; and if her Department will provide an update on that urgent application.

Kevin Foster: The Home Office responded to the correspondence on 19 April 2022.

UK Visas and Immigration

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to (a) improve advice given by and (b) reduce call waiting times for the UK visa and immigration MP hotline.

Kevin Foster: (a)The agents on the MP Helpline receive full training and mentoring to give them the appropriate skills to handle the enquiries received to the helpline. We also conduct quality monitoring of calls and have a robust training and feedback programme.(b)Since the beginning of the Ukraine crisis there has been a significant increase in calls to the MP Enquiry Line leading to lengthy wait times for which we apologise.To ease pressure on the lines during this period we have requested MP’s Offices only use the line for Ukraine queries or non-Ukraine compassionate/urgent cases.

Undocumented Migrants: English Channel

Gordon Henderson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many migrants who came to the UK by crossing the Channel in 2021 have had their asylum cases processed.

Gordon Henderson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many migrants who came to the UK by crossing the Channel in 2021 have been removed from the UK.

Kevin Foster: The Home Office routinely publishes data on Irregular Migration to the UK and can be found at: Irregular migration to the UK, year ending December 2021 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) and also routinely publish data on the number of outcomes of asylum applications at initial decision, broken down by nationality, age, sex and applicant type and can be found at Asy_D02 of the published immigration statistics: Asylum and resettlement datasets - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Passports: Applications

Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to ensure that her Department processes passport applications on time and resolves delays as swiftly as possible.

Kevin Foster: Due to COVID-19, over 5 million people delayed applying for a British passport in 2020 and 2021.In March 2022 HM Passport Office decided over one million passport applications, the highest recorded in any month to date.Since April 2021 British passport applicants have been advised to allow up to ten weeks to get their passport. However, HM Passport Office seeks to ensure its customers receive their passport as quickly as possible and is working alongside its suppliers to develop further ways to maximise its ability to cope with an unprecedented level of demand.HM Passport Office has already deployed a range of tried and tested contingency arrangements, which includes the increasing of resources through recruitment and enabling the flexing of resources from across the Home Office and other government departments.In addition, technical solutions, such as its latest digital application system, mean more passport applications are securely processed with fewer manual interventions, enabling them to be processed more quickly.

Refugees: Afghanistan

Cherilyn Mackrory: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the Afghanistan Citizens' Resettlement Scheme in meeting its aims; and what steps she is taking in continuing to support that scheme.

Kevin Foster: The Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme commenced on 6 January 2022, providing up to 20,000 women, children and others at risk with a safe and legal route to resettle in the UK.Eligible individuals can be referred onto the Scheme in one of three ways, as set out in the policy statement. In line with this statement, the Home Office remains committed to achieving the objectives set out for the ACRS.https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/afghanistan-resettlement-and-immigration-policy-statementWe started to resettle families under Pathway One of the ACRS at the start of the year. In light of the success of our evacuation efforts, we expect to exceed our initial aim of resettling 5,000 through the Scheme in the first year.We are working at pace to prepare to receive the first referrals under Pathways 2 and 3 as soon as we can, so individuals affected by the events in Afghanistan can safely arrive in the UK and start to rebuild their lives.We will publish ACRS resettlement figures in line with the Code of Practice for Official Statistics, allowing transparent progress-monitoring.

Members: Correspondence

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when he will respond to the letter of 17 January 2022 from the hon. Member for Warley on Mr Fred Osei.

Kevin Foster: The Home Office responded to the correspondence on 13 February 2022

Nigeria: English Language

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what information the Simplification of Rules Taskforce office used to reach the decision that Nigeria was not to be included in the Majority English Speaking Countries list.

Kevin Foster: To be included on the Majority English Speaking Countries list (MESC list), the Home Office must have evidence over half the population in the country in question speaks English as a first language. If a country meets this criteria, it means it is more likely than not any individual applicant from that country can speak English with the level of fluency required to integrate in the UK and complete the course they are coming to study, or the job they are coming to do without them having to provide further evidence.  Evidence we look for includes census data and official statistics. Academic studies, data on literacy, languages in which schooling or university courses are taught, and evidence of languages spoken in the home are helpful, but not definitive.

Visas: Disclosure of Information

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, in what circumstances her Department issues a visa to an applicant on condition that the applicant first signs a non-disclosure agreement.

Kevin Foster: The Home Office does not, under any circumstances, require an applicant to sign a Non-Disclosure Agreement, either while applying for permission to stay in the United Kingdom or when settling a litigation claim.

Asylum: Rwanda

Patrick Grady: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people from Rwanda have (a) applied for and (b) been granted asylum in the UK in each of the last five years.

Tom Pursglove: The Home Office publishes data on asylum in the ‘Immigration Statistics Quarterly Release’. Data on asylum applications raised, by nationality, are published in table Asy_D01, and data on the outcomes of asylum applications at initial decision, by nationality, are published in table Asy_D02 of the ‘asylum and resettlement detailed datasets’. Information on how to use the datasets can be found in the ‘Notes’ page of the workbook. The latest data relates to the end of December 2021.Information on future Home Office statistical release dates can be found in the ‘Research and statistics calendar’.

Passports: Applications

Gavin Newlands: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many full-time equivalent staff were employed by her Department to assist with the processing and issuance of passports on the 1st April of (a) 2010, (b) 2015, (c) 2019, (d) 2020 and (e) 2022.

Kevin Foster: The table below shows the number of full-time equivalent staff working within Her Majesty’s Passport Office’s passport production-related roles on 1 April* for each year requested.Number (FTE)20224,09220203,60920192,96220153,5942010*3,978*Data extracted for 2010 has been taken from August as the data for April is not available

Asylum

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent estimate her Department has made of the number of people in the UK who are failed asylum seekers.

Tom Pursglove: Failed asylum seekers become subject to removal action once their claim has been assessed and subsequently refused and any appeal rights become exhausted either through non submission of an appeal or any appeal lodged to the independent judiciary is dismissed.Information regarding the number of failed asylum seekers still living in the UK can be found on tables ASY03 and RCM02 of the most recently published immigration and protection transparency data:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/immigration-and-protection-data-q2-2021

Asylum: Deportation

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when the process for the removal of failed asylum applicants begins once a claim has been disallowed.

Tom Pursglove: Failed asylum seekers become subject to removal action once their claim has been assessed and subsequently refused and any appeal rights become exhausted either through non submission of an appeal or any appeal lodged to the independent judiciary is dismissed.Information regarding the number of failed asylum seekers still living in the UK can be found on tables ASY03 and RCM02 of the most recently published immigration and protection transparency data:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/immigration-and-protection-data-q2-2021

Asylum: Applications

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the minimum amount of time is that must elapse between when an asylum application is rejected and the same applicant can make a second application.

Kevin Foster: The further submissions process provides a mechanism to consider additional evidence provided after an asylum claim has been refused and appeal rights are exhausted, and before a failed asylum seeker has left the UK.So, there is no minimum time period which must have elapsed before a further submission can be made.

Detention Centres: Ghana

Ruth Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, on (a) which date and (b) where she held discussions with the Ghanaian Government on the potential opening of an offshore immigration processing centre in that country.

Tom Pursglove: We are unable to comment on discussions that were held with other countries.We are however committed to working closely with international partners as we act on fixing our broken asylum system. This ground-breaking Migration and Economic Development Partnership is a model that could be replicated elsewhere, and we are always willing to work with partners around the world to tackle this joint challenge.

Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities

Private Rented Housing: Pets

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the revised Model Tenancy Agreement in supporting more tenants in privately-rented homes to own a pet dog or cat.

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether the Government plans to take steps to support private renters who would like to own a pet dog or cat to do so responsibly, in the context of Battersea’s Pet Friendly Properties campaign.

Eddie Hughes: The Government recognises the importance of pet ownership to many renting in the private rented sector. We have therefore taken steps to make it easier for responsible tenants to keep pets in the private rented sector.We have revised the national Model Tenancy Agreement, the government’s recommended contract for assured shorthold tenancies in the private rented sector, in order to make it easier for tenants with pets to find private landlords who will accept them. The revision aims to strike the balance between protecting private landlords from situations where their properties are damaged by badly behaved pets and ensuring responsible pet owning tenants are not unfairly penalised.The Government has not made an assessment of the effectiveness of the revised Model Tenancy Agreement in supporting pet ownership in the private rented sector.

Landlords: Databases

Gill Furniss: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, when the results and Government response to the public consultation on extending the database of rogue landlords and property agents will be published; and what assessment he has made of the potential merits of making that database available to the public.

Eddie Hughes: The Government has previously consulted on reforming the Database, including on widening access and scope of the Database. We are reviewing next steps in light of our work exploring a national landlord register. We will publish a White Paper this year that will set out our proposals for reform of the private rented sector.

Leasehold: Tribunals

Alberto Costa: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether his Department plans to enact the recommendation from the Law Commission's report on Leasehold Enfranchisement that the remit of the Leasehold Tribunal should be expanded to cover issues in respect of leaseholder's concerns that are not currently able to heard by that tribunal.

Eddie Hughes: The Government recognises the importance of promoting better access to redress and dispute resolution for leaseholders. It is working through the Law Commission's recommendations to reform enfranchisement, including those that reform how disputes are resolved, and we will respond in due course.

Wind Power: Planning Permission

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will launch a public consultation on reviewing footnote 54 relating to onshore wind energy development applications in the National Planning Policy Framework in the context of rising energy prices.

Stuart Andrew: The Government is clear in national planning policy that the planning system should support the transition to a low-carbon future, including supporting renewable and low carbon energy and associated infrastructure. Local planning authorities should approve applications for renewable and low carbon energy generation if the impacts are or can be made acceptable. The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) expects any proposed wind energy development to be located in an area identified as suitable in the local plan, and to demonstrate it has the consent of the community. We announced in the British Energy Security Strategy that we won’t introduce wholesale changes to planning regulations for onshore wind now.We recognise that the cost of on-shore wind has fallen significantly over the last ten years. That is why in our energy strategy, we committed to develop on-shore wind partnerships that will enable supportive communities to host new on-shore wind infrastructure and enjoy the benefits of doing so, through developers supporting the local energy discounts and new community infrastructure projects. We will launch our consultation later this year on developing these partnerships for a limited number of supportive communities.

Wind Power: Planning Permission

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what discussions he has had with (a) onshore wind providers and (b) local authorities on footnote 54 of the National Planning Policy Framework regarding the presumption against wind energy development applications.

Stuart Andrew: We have no immediate plans to discuss footnote 54 in the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) with onshore wind developers or with local authorities. We understand the strength of feeling that some people have about the impact of wind turbines. Whilst we have not introduced wholesale changes to planning policy for on-shore wind in England, we have committed to developing local partnerships for a limited number of supportive communities who wish to host new on-shore wind infrastructure, in return for a range of benefits including lower energy bills. We will launch a consultation later this year on developing these partnerships.Regarding applications for wind energy development, the NPPF is clear that local planning authorities should approve applications if their impacts are or can be made acceptable. A proposed wind energy development is expected to be located in an area identified as suitable for wind energy in the local plan, and to demonstrate that the local community has consented to the development.

Parking: Planning Permission

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether he plans to review the National Planning Policy Framework to produce a plan for adequate overnight commercial vehicle parking facilities.

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what plans he has to include guidance in the National Planning Policy Framework on the number of commercial vehicle parking spaces that should be included when submitting planning applications for new haulage distribution centres.

Stuart Andrew: We have made our expectation clear in the National Planning Policy Framework that plans and decisions should recognise the importance of providing adequate overnight lorry parking facilities, taking into account any local shortages, to reduce the risk of parking in locations that lack proper facilities or could cause a nuisance. The Framework is also clear that proposals for new or expanded distribution centres should also make provision for sufficient lorry parking to cater for their anticipated use. We have also published planning practice guidance setting out how local planning authorities can assess the need for and allocate land to logistics land uses.We recognise the importance of adequate overnight commercial vehicle parking facilities, and this Government is committed to addressing the national need for more and better lorry parking facilities. In co-ordination with my colleague the Secretary of State for Transport, we recently laid a Statement before this House setting out our plans to address this need. Our Statement of 8 November 2021 reminded local authorities of the pressing need to apply this policy to local plans and decisions, and committed to taking forward a review of how the freight sector is currently represented in guidance.

Housing: Construction

Stuart Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps he is taking to help ensure that new housing developments deliver the infrastructure that communities require.

Stuart Andrew: It is important that new housing development is supported by the provision of infrastructure and appropriate services. Local authorities have responsibilities for planning for local development and the infrastructure to support it.Where new development is proposed, contributions from developers play an important role in delivering the infrastructure to support communities and local economies. Local planning authorities can use the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) and Section 106 planning obligations (together called ‘developer contributions’) to secure funding from new development to contribute towards the delivery of infrastructure.However, the existing developer contributions regime is discretionary, subject to negotiation and renegotiations based on developers’ viability assessment.The Government has proposed to introduce a new ‘Infrastructure Levy’, to replace the existing system of developer contributions, which aims to capture a greater share of the uplift in land value that comes with development. Through the Levy, local authorities will have greater flexibility to determine how contributions are spent to shape and support both existing and new communities.

Affordable Housing: Finance

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether he has made an assessment of the reasons behind trends in the level of overall affordable housing support.

Stuart Andrew: The Government is taking action on a number of fronts to help make housing more affordable. We are investing over £12 billion in new affordable housing over five years - the largest investment in affordable housing in a decade. This includes the £11.5 billion Affordable Homes Programme for 2021-26, which will provide up to 180,000 new homes across the country, should economic conditions allow. This will include around 32,000 Social Rent homes. Since 2010, over 574,100 new affordable homes have been delivered - including over 403,400 affordable homes for rent. We continue to provide support through the welfare system to help households meet the cost of housing in both the private and social rented sectors. We are helping to bring home ownership within reach of many more people through Help to Buy and Shared Ownership. Measures to increase overall housing supply will also help to make housing more affordable. The Government will continue working towards our ambition of delivering 300,000 new homes per year in England to create a more sustainable and affordable housing market.

Rathlin Energy: East Riding

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what assessment he has made of the request to review the planning application from Rathlin Energy for four more wells and 20 years of oil extraction at the West Newton-A site in East Yorkshire; whether he plans to call in the project; and if he will make a statement.

Stuart Andrew: Planning permission has been granted by the local council and as such the Secretary of State cannot now call-in the application. A request seeking revocation of the planning permission is currently being considered against revocation policy.I hope you will understand that I cannot comment on the matter further, as to do so might prejudice the Secretary of State’s position.

Walls and Fences: Injunctions

Munira Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what assessment his Department has made of the (a) average legal costs of pursuing a civil court injunction to enforce compliance with the Party Wall Act 1996 and (b) extent to which those costs prohibit homeowners from reaching a resolution.

Munira Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what assessment has been made of the potential merits of amending the Party Wall Act 1996 to compel homeowners undertaking works subject to the Act to serve a party wall notice.

Stuart Andrew: Anyone intending to carry out any of the works mentioned in section 2 of the Party Wall Act 1996, must inform all adjoining owners. The Act contains no enforcement procedures for failure to serve a notice. If work starts without a notice being given, an adjoining owner can seek to stop the work through a court injunction or seek other legal redress.The Department has not carried out an assessment of the average legal costs of pursuing a civil court injunction to enforce compliance with the Act or the potential merits of amending the Act. The Act provides for surveyors to be paid the reasonable costs of drawing up an award. However, if the building owner or the adjoining owner feels that a surveyor’s costs are unreasonable, they may ask for a breakdown of costs, e.g. the hourly rate and number of hours of time being charged for.

Flats: Fire Prevention

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the reasons why mortgage lenders are requiring completion of an ESS1 certificate on all flats situated in blocks of less than five stories even where cladding is not present.

Stuart Andrew: An EWS1 form is not a statutory or regulatory requirement nor ​a​ safety ‘test’. Not all lenders ask for an EWS1, but when or whether they do remains a commercial decision. The measures in the January Statement provide a clear framework for proportionate risk assessments whilst encouraging lenders to base their risk management on the presumption that medium and low rise buildings are safe, unless there is evidence to the contrary.The Department publishes quarterly data on the number of EWS1s required on mortgage valuations by the 7 largest lenders, including for medium- and low-rise buildings on gov.uk. The latest data published on 17 February 2022 shows that lenders required completion of an EWS1 form or equivalent for 2% of valuations for flats in 1-4 storey blocks between October and December 2021. We will continue to work with lenders to enable them to accept forms of assurance other than EWS1s, such as a comprehensive fire risk assessment.

Homelessness: Death

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what comparative assessment he has made of trends in the level of deaths among people who are homeless since January 2019.

Eddie Hughes: Every premature death of someone experiencing homelessness is one too many and we take this matter extremely seriously.The latest Office for National Statistics figures show there were an estimated 688 deaths of people who are homeless in England and Wales registered in 2020, a decrease of 11.6% from 2019 (778 estimated deaths). Although this is statistically similar to registered deaths in the period 2017 to 2019, it represents the first fall in the number of estimated deaths since 2014.

Housing: Energy

Bim Afolami: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps his Department plans to take to ensure that newly built homes are built to the highest levels of energy efficiency.

Eddie Hughes: The Government remains committed to meeting its target of net zero emissions by 2050 and recognises the important contribution that the energy efficiency of buildings has to make in meeting it.From 2025, the Future Homes Standard will ensure that new homes produce at least 75% fewer CO2 emissions compared to those built to the 2013 standards. These homes will be future-proofed with low carbon heating and high levels of energy efficiency. No further energy efficiency retrofit work will be necessary to enable them to become zero-carbon over time as the electricity grid continues to decarbonise.In December 2021 we introduced an uplift in energy efficiency standards that delivers a meaningful reduction in carbon emissions and provides a stepping-stone to the Future Homes Standard. Once the uplift comes into force, in June 2022, new homes will be expected to produce around 30% fewer CO2 emissions compared to the previous 2013 standards.The uplift marks an important step on our journey towards a cleaner, greener built environment and it supports us in our target to reduce the UK’s carbon emissions to net zero by 2050.

UK Shared Prosperity Fund

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether his Department took account of increases in inflation when setting levels of funding available through the Shared Prosperity Fund.

Neil O'Brien: Yes. Funding will match in real terms what was allocated under ERDF and ESF to Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and each LEP area in England.

Refugees: Ukraine

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether the costs of hosting Ukrainian refugees in the UK will be (a) reported as Official Development Assistance (ODA) and (b) counted towards the 0.5 per cent GNI ODA budget.

Eddie Hughes: Eligible costs will be reported as ODA and counted towards the 0.5% GNI ODA spending commitment.

Homes for Ukraine Scheme

Stuart C McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps he is taking with Cabinet colleagues to raise awareness of the Homes for Ukraine Scheme among Ukrainians who have fled to other countries.

Eddie Hughes: I refer the Hon. Member to the answer given to UIN 148045 on 1 April 2022.In addition, the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities is also working with NGOs, charities or other third-party organisations.

Homes for Ukraine Scheme

Olivia Blake: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, pursuant to his Answer of 19 April 2022 to Question 150299 on the Homes for Ukraine scheme: Sheffield, what plans he has to publish data on sponsors by local authority.

Eddie Hughes: Local authority data is published at: www.gov.uk/government/publications/homes-for-ukraine-sponsorship-scheme-numbers-of-visa-applications.

Homes for Ukraine Scheme: Social Media

Dame Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, pursuant to the Answer of 19 April 2022 to Question 151013, on Refugees: Ukraine, what work the National Crime Agency is undertaking with social media companies in respect of the Homes for Ukraine scheme.

Eddie Hughes: Questions relating to the work of the NCA are best directed to the Home Office.

Homes for Ukraine Scheme: Vetting

Dame Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, pursuant to Answer of 19 April to Question 151012, what steps his Department is taking to help increase local authorities' capacity to deal with safeguarding issues raised by applicants of the Homes for Ukraine scheme.

Eddie Hughes: The Government will provide funding of £10,500 per person to local authorities to provide a range of support required.

Homes for Ukraine Scheme: Vetting

Dame Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, pursuant to the Answer of 19 April 2022 to Question 149188 on Homes for Ukraine Scheme, what specific support his Department has provided to local authorities to expand their capacity to implement safeguarding checks on sponsors applying for the Homes for Ukraine scheme.

Eddie Hughes: Guidance is published via: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/homes-for-ukraine-guidance-for-councils. DLUHC meet regularly with representatives from local authorities.

Refugees: Ukraine

Dame Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, pursuant to Answer of 19 April to Question 151014, if he will provide additional funding to local authorities to deal with the potential increase in homelessness from Ukrainians arriving on the Family Scheme and the Homes for Ukraine scheme.

Eddie Hughes: Funding of £10,500 per person is provided to local authorities under the Homes for Ukraine scheme which includes funding for homelessness.

Homes for Ukraine Scheme: Vetting

Dr Rupa Huq: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with reference to the Homes for Ukraine scheme, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of enabling local authorities to start DBS checks on potential providers of accommodation for Ukrainian refugees before their arrival in the UK.

Eddie Hughes: That is the position. Guidance is set out at: www.gov.uk/guidance/homes-for-ukraine-guidance-for-councils.

Homes for Ukraine Scheme

Alyn Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, how many applications have been made to the Homes for Ukraine scheme.

Alyn Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, how many applications to the Homes For Ukraine scheme have been (a) accepted and (b) denied.

Eddie Hughes: Visa applications for the Homes for Ukraine scheme are managed by the Home Office.Updates on visa applications are published at: www.gov.uk/government/publications/homes-for-ukraine-sponsorship-scheme-numbers-of-visa-applications.

Homes for Ukraine Scheme

Alyn Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what the average timescale is for a decision to be made for the Homes For Ukraine scheme.

Eddie Hughes: Visa application decisions for the Homes for Ukraine scheme are managed by the Home Office.

Homes for Ukraine Scheme

Brendan O'Hara: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether processes are in place to ensure that people who have come to the UK through the Homes for Ukraine scheme can transfer to a new sponsor in the event that the original sponsorship relationship breaks down or is found to be unsuitable; and whether people can transfer from the Homes for Ukraine scheme to the Scottish Government’s super sponsor scheme.

Eddie Hughes: Individuals arriving with the Scottish Government as a direct sponsor – known as ‘Devolved Government Sponsorship’ – are arriving under the Homes for Ukraine scheme. Further details on the development of the scheme will be announced in the usual way.

UK Shared Prosperity Fund: Research

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what plans he has to assess the effectiveness of R&D interventions included in the investment plan submitted to the Government for approval for Shared Prosperity Fund funding.

Neil O'Brien: Lead local authorities in England, Scotland and Wales will be asked to report data to us to ensure that allocations are being spent to agreed timescales and milestones, including achievement of outputs and outcomes at the project level. We will also ask local authorities to report individual project outputs and outcomes at UK Parliament constituency level.The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities are developing a national approach to evaluation, including a scoping study in partnership with the What Works Centre for Local Economic Growth. The national evaluation will evaluate the Fund through two related lenses: Fund-level process evaluation/s to demonstrate accountability and understand what worked well, what did not, and why, in the design and delivery of the Fund. Performance indicators from lead local authorities or project deliverers will contribute to the programme-level process evaluation. In addition, places may be required to cooperate with process evaluation activity undertaken by or on behalf of us.

UK Shared Prosperity Fund: Research

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if the Shared Prosperity Fund's R&D funding be equivalent to the European Regional Development Funding R&D funding in terms of (a) absolute amount, (b) proportion and (c) regional distribution.

Neil O'Brien: Leaving the EU enables the UK to identify UK-specific priorities and create a fund which invests in UK priorities and targets funding where it is needed most. As set out in various Manifesto commitments and at spending review, the UKSPF is not intended as a direct replacement for ESIF funds. The Fund’s policy and delivery structure significantly differs, with a focus to deliver more tangible Pride in Place benefits across the UK.Places will be empowered to identify and build on their own strengths and needs at a local level. Should they choose to do so, they can fund Research and Development (R&D) related interventions under the ‘supporting local businesses’ pillar of the fund. However, it will be for places to decide how much of their allocation they spend on R&D depending on their locally identified priorities.

Local Government: Remote Meetings

Ben Everitt: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what assessment his Department has made of the responses to its consultation on local authority remote meetings, published on 25 March 2022; and whether he has plans to bring forward legislative proposals to permit hybrid in-person and virtual meetings for (a) all council meetings, (b) lower tier parish and town council meetings and (c) planning committee meetings.

Kemi Badenoch: We launched a call for evidence on 25 March 2021 to gather views and inform a longer-term decision about whether to make express provision for councils to meet remotely on a permanent basis.The Department has considered the responses to the consultation and the Government will respond shortly.

Local Government: Remote Meetings

Richard Fuller: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, when he plans to publish his Department's response to the call for evidence on whether local authorities and parish councils may meet remotely on a permanent basis, which closed on 17June 2021; and whether he plans to make changes to the existing requirements for those meetings.

Kemi Badenoch: We launched a call for evidence on 25 March 2021 to gather views and inform a longer-term decision about whether to make express provision for councils to meet remotely on a permanent basis.The Department has considered the responses to the consultation and the Government will respond shortly.

Local Government: Meetings

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will require all local authorities to publish a transcript of full council meetings.

Kemi Badenoch: The Government has no plans to require local authorities to publish a transcript of full council meetings. Government does not regulate the content of councils’ minutes or decision notices; this is a matter for individual local authorities.

Regional Planning and Development: Publicity

Matt Western: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, how much has been spent from the public purse on advertisements in the Evening Standard newspaper related to levelling up.

Matt Western: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, how much has been spent from the public purse on advertisements in The Times newspaper related to levelling up.

Matt Western: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, how much has been spent from the public purse on advertisements in The Telegraph newspaper related to levelling up.

Matt Western: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, how much has been spent from the public purse on advertisements in the Guardian newspaper related to levelling up.

Neil O'Brien: There has been no spend in these publications in relation to levelling up. The full campaign expenditure will be published in due course, as part of the departments routine transparency commitments.

Inland Waterways: Regional Planning and Development

Antony Higginbotham: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether he has made an assessment of the potential role of canals and waterways in the Government’s levelling-up agenda.

Eddie Hughes: As set out in the Levelling Up White Paper, infrastructure and connectivity are key to levelling up the country.The Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs is currently conducting a review of the annual Government grant provided to the Canal and River Trust, and the potential role of the canal network in the levelling-up agenda is being considered as part of that review.

Regional Planning and Development: Publicity

Matt Western: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, how much has been spent from the public purse on advertisements in local newspapers related to levelling up.

Matt Western: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, how much has been spent from the public purse on advertisements on commercial radio related to levelling up.

Neil O'Brien: The Levelling Up campaign has just ended. We will be publishing its expenditure as part of routine transparency commitments in due course.

Public Lavatories: Solihull

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, how much funding has been allocated to Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council in the recent Changing Places Toilets fund.

Eddie Hughes: Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council asked for £40,000 to build one Changing Places Toilet. They have been awarded the full amount that they requested.

Cabinet Office

Tobacco: EU law

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of diverging from the European Union’s Tobacco Products Directive in favour of progressive tobacco harm reduction policies that support the Government's levelling up agenda.

Mr Jacob Rees-Mogg: No formal assessment has been made but I have received correspondence on this matter from members of the public in response to my requests to readers of the Sun and the Sunday Express. It is for the Secretary of State for the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) to consider any changes to the policy. As set out in the ‘Benefits of Brexit’ paper, published on 31 January, DHSC will set out proposals for regulatory reforms in a new Tobacco Control Plan due to be published later this year.

Cabinet Office: Consultants

Angela Rayner: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how much his Department spent in total on external recruitment consultants in (a) 2019, (b) 2020 and (c) 2021; how many full time equivalent posts were filled as a result of that expenditure; and how many of those posts were filled by individuals recruited from outside the civil service.

Mrs Heather Wheeler: This information is not held. Recruitment costs are tracked but Consultancy fees form only a small part of this total. It is not possible to disaggregate and isolate Recruitment Consultancy fees only. Our recruitment systems do not record candidate attraction methodology so we are unable to disaggregate recruitment data to analyse campaign success by Consultancies.

Mortality Rates: Males

Esther McVey: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to ONS data on excess deaths in males aged 15 to 19 which accounts for registered deaths, published on 22 March 2022, how many deaths of males aged 15 to 19 have been reported to the regional coroner but not yet registered; and how that figure compares to the figure for (a) males aged 15 to 19 and (b) females aged 15 to 19 in each of the last five years.

Esther McVey: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the ONS data on excess deaths, published on 22 March 2022, how many and what proportion of the 402 males who died between 1 May and 24 December 2021 had received a covid-19 vaccination; and how many of the females who died during that period had received a covid-19 vaccination.

Esther McVey: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to ONS data on excess deaths, published on 22 March 2022, what the time interval was between receiving a covid-19 vaccination and death for each 15 to 19 year old male who died between 1 May and 24 December 2021; and what that time interval was for females in that age group who died during that period.

Mrs Heather Wheeler: The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. A response to the Rt hon. Member's Parliamentary Questions of 14 April is attached. UKSA response (pdf, 117.3KB)

Blood: Contamination

Holly Lynch: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if the Government will commit to publishing the report on the Infected Blood Compensation Framework Study in full; and when the Government plans to publish that report.

Michael Ellis: I refer the Honourable Member to my answer to PQ 150265, and the Written Ministerial Statement HCWS681 I made on 15 March.

Newport Wafer Fab

Stephen Crabb: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, when he expects the National Security Adviser to complete his review of the sale of Newport Wafer Fab to Nexperia; and if he will make a statement.

Michael Ellis: The Government is considering the case and no decisions have been made. As part of that consideration the National Security Adviser was asked to review this case. We are unable to comment on the details of national security assessments.

Cabinet Office: Information Officers

Deidre Brock: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how much his Department spent on communications staff in (a) 2019-20, (b) 2020-21 and (c) 2021-22.

Deidre Brock: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how much the COP26 unit spent on communications staff in (a) 2019-20, (b) 2020-21 and (c) 2021-22.

Deidre Brock: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how much the Prime Minister's Office spent on communications staff in (a) 2019-20, (b) 2020-21 and (c) 2021-22.

Nigel Adams: Staffing costs for the Government Communication Service within the Cabinet Office, including No10, were approximately £18.3m in 2019-20, £25.1m in 2020-21 and £27.2m in 2021-22. Over this period, the Cabinet Office has responded to extraordinary national and global events, such as COVID-19 and UK Transition, through the running of large centralised public information campaigns. The figures provided include staff loaned or seconded from other government departments who supported the centralised public information campaigns. Staffing costs for the Government Communication Service within COP26 was approximately £623,000 in 2020-21 and £1.2m in 2021-22.

Department for International Trade

Food: Imports

Sir Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what steps her Department is taking to help ensure that the UK's trade partners do not refrain from exporting food products as a result of the war in Ukraine.

Mike Freer: Russia’s invasion of Ukraine placed global food security under increased pressure. Russia has compounded this by restricting exports of some of its basic foods and fertilisers. As the World Trade Organisation (WTO) Director-General has pointed out, trade is of paramount importance in preventing hunger, and use of export restrictions can trigger a spiral of further price rises and restrictions. G7 leaders committed to avoiding export bans and other trade restrictive measures and called on others to do likewise. The United Kingdom has been leading efforts in the WTO to put food security and the importance of open markets on the agenda for MC12, and in particular called for the prohibition of the use of export restrictions on humanitarian purchases made by the World Food Programme.

Trade: Russia

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, if she will take steps with her international counterparts to discourage trade with Russia that may aid or assist that state's invasion of Ukraine.

Mike Freer: In lockstep with our allies, we are introducing the largest and most severe package of economic sanctions that Russia has ever faced, to maximise the impact on Russia’s campaign in Ukraine and cut off funding for Putin’s war machine.Whilst we do not speculate on future sanctions, we will continue to consider further measures to increase pressure on Putin’s regime.

Trade: USA

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what (a) working groups or (b) structured dialogues have been launched following the trade discussions in Baltimore; and how those groups or dialogues compare with the 10 US-EU Trade and Technology Council Working Groups in place.

Penny Mordaunt: At the first UK-U.S. Trade Dialogue on 21-22 March in Baltimore, the UK and U.S. made a number of commitments (found here in the Joint Statement), including re-launching the joint Small and Medium-sized Enterprise (SME) Dialogue. We will continue to identify further steps to move forward our important U.S.-UK bilateral trade relationship at the next Trade Dialogue on 25-26 April in Aberdeen. The UK has its own unique interests and relationship with the United States. Our independent trade policy allows us to pursue this in detail, and discussions at the UK-U.S. Joint Dialogues have been tailored to our bilateral interests.

Trades Union Congress

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, with reference to the Minister for Trade policy's oral contribution of 21 April, to Question 23, if she will publish a copy of any written offer to the TUC to join the Trade Advisory Board.

Mr Ranil Jayawardena: It is not practice to publish such correspondence but the Hon. Gentleman is mistaken as to the meeting and offer in question. It is a matter of public record that the General Secretary and Deputy General Secretary of the Trades Union Congress (TUC) have seats on the Department’s Trade Union Advisory Group and Strategic Trade Advisory Group respectively. Following the TUC’s request, the Department has offered a number of seats on Trade Advisory Groups (TAGs) for representatives of trades unions, but the TUC have not taken up these seats yet.

Department for International Trade: Telephone Services

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what the estimated average agent utilisation rate has been during core operating hours for the Export Services Contact Centre in each month from 1 October 2021 to 31 March 2022.

Mike Freer: The ESS helpline was launched 1 October to support business – availability, quality, speed and cost of service all matter. Calls are answered quickly; 93% within 30 seconds, 59% of enquiries are dealt with in a single call, and users report an 89% satisfaction rate. The Department has optimised the service since launch; reducing costs by 18% and adding new services. The utilisation rate fluctuates by the hour. Average weekly rates range from 18%, peaking at 57% in March 2022. Average monthly rates since launch are 8% (October), 6% (November), 6% (December), 8% (January), 7% (February), and 32% (March). Having very high utilisation rates (for example, above 85%) will almost certainly impact service quality with longer waiting time and reduced satisfaction rates.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport: Information Officers

Deidre Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, how much the Department spent on communications staff in (a) 2019-20, (b) 2020-21 and (c) 2021-22.

Julia Lopez: Expenditure (pay costs) on communications staffing was £1,904,000 in 2019-20, £2,489,000 in 2020-21 and £2,788,000 in 2021-22. This increase reflects changes the Department has made to pay band minimums and specialist communication allowances over the three year period, whilst the communication function in the department has reduced from 4% to 2% as a proportion of the departmental FTE headcount as DCMS' responsibilities have increased significantly.

Holiday Accommodation

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the impact of (a) short-term holiday lets on local communities and (b) those that are marketed for hosting parties.

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether she plans to grant powers to local authorities to control short-term holiday lets in residential areas where customers are (a) making excess noise and (b) using language or discussing issues that may be deemed offensive.

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the impact of short-term holiday lets on (a) bed and breakfasts, (b) guest houses, (c) hotels and (d) other businesses in the regulated short stay market.

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if she will bring forward legislative proposals in the next Parliamentary session to regulate the short term holiday let market.

Nigel Huddleston: The Tourism Recovery Plan, published in June 2021, included a commitment to consult on a Tourism Accommodation Registration Scheme in England.Ahead of this, the government intends to launch a call for evidence that will seek views on a range of issues that arise from the increase in short term and holiday letting.First, I want to gather information that will improve the government’s understanding of the benefits and challenges of the increase in short-term and holiday letting we have seen in England in recent years. Second, I want to gather initial views on what would and would not constitute a proportionate response to addressing some of the challenges.This evidence will help us determine whether there are options the government should pursue through a consultation.The Government is committed to only regulating where absolutely necessary and any proposed options, including non-regulatory options, will need to be justified and preserve the benefits of growth and innovation as much as possible.

Holiday Accommodation

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 19 April 2022 to Question 150212 on Holiday Accommodation, for what reason his Department is planning to consult on a registration scheme and not a licensing scheme.

Nigel Huddleston: The Tourism Recovery Plan, published in June 2021, included a commitment to consult on a Tourism Accommodation Registration Scheme in England.Ahead of this, however, the government intends to launch a call for evidence that will seek views on a range of issues that arise from the increase in short term and holiday letting.First, I want to gather information that will improve the government’s understanding of the benefits and challenges of the increase in short-term and holiday letting we have seen in England in recent years. Second, I want to gather initial views on what would and would not constitute a proportionate response to addressing some of the challenges.This evidence will help us determine whether there are options the government should pursue through a consultation.The Government is committed to only regulating where absolutely necessary and any proposed options, including non-regulatory options, will need to be justified and preserve the benefits of growth and innovation as much as possible.

Women and Equalities

Safe to Be Me Conference: Expenditure

Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what are the total costs incurred to date by her Department in preparation towards the Safe to Be Me: A Global Equality Conference.

Mike Freer: We announced our decision to cancel Safe To Be Me: A Global Equality Conference on 6 April 2022. Expenditure to that point, and due to the cancellation, is estimated to be between £0.41 million and £0.61 million.We are engaging our suppliers to determine whether any costs can be recovered for work that had not yet been undertaken. We are also exploring whether any commitments made could be deferred to support future government events. As a result, these figures are provisional but represent the upper range of the costs the government will incur. The final position will be reflected in departmental accounts in the usual way.

Attorney General

Crown Prosecution Service: Staff

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney General, how many CPS (a) staff and (b) prosecutors work in the Serious Economic, Organised Crime and International Directorate as of 19 April 2022; and how many of those staff work primarily on issues of (i) international justice and organised crime, (ii) special crime and counter terrorism and (ii) fraud.

Alex Chalk: In April 2022, The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) launched a new Serious Economic, Organised Crime and International Directorate (SEOCID) which brings together specialists in economic crime, organised crime, proceeds of crime and international to deliver justice, combat crime across borders and take money from criminals. This combined team of specialists will continue to work closely with investigators to disrupt the emerging threats of organised criminal gangs using cyber technology to exploit people, businesses, and the Government. Victims of complex SEOCID cases are often based in multiple jurisdictions. The directorate will work to improve their experience by ensuring investigators and prosecutors work closely and have a joint victim and witness strategy from the outset. Establishing the new Serious Economic, Organised Crime and International Directorate is part of the CPS Economic Crime Strategy 2025. The number of staff and prosecutors can be found in the table below:DepartmentHead Count FTEHC of ProsecutorsFTE of ProsecutorsSERIOUS ECONOMIC ORGANISED CRIME INTERNATIONAL (SEOCID)394372.38186.00177.65SPECIAL CRIME AND COUNTER TERRORISM DIVISION146140.2969.0067.10Grand Total540512.66255.00244.76 NB: The data has been extracted from the CPS Oracle HR database and is accurate at point of enquiry on 21 April 2022. Consequent changes to data input may mean that this data will change at some point in the future.*The system reports data as at the last day of the month rather than the first or any date in-between therefore the table is presented to the nearest reportable date to the questions asked. *FTE figures have been rounded

Crown Prosecution Service: Civil Servants

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney General, what the average number of full time equivalent civil service staff employed by the Crown Prosecution Service was in each financial year between 2010-11 and 2021-22.

Alex Chalk: The number of staff employed by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) during the periods specified is available in the table below. The data provided includes all staff grades full time equivalent averaged across each year. During this period the CPS has undertaken continuous improvement and modernisation programmes to improve efficiency and effectiveness. These included digitalisation, development of a national resourcing model, standard operating practices, resource efficiency measures, smarter/remote working practices, and establishment of remote teams. As a national service for England and Wales, the consequence of these measures is that we now have the ability to shift work to where capacity resides which is both much more efficient, and also fairer on the workforce.Financial YearAverage Full Time Equivalent Staff2010/1177972011/1272142012/1368942013/1463412014/1559392015/1655412016/1754682017/1855172018/1954932019/2055772020/2159432021/226406 NB: The data has been extracted from the CPS Oracle HR database and is accurate at point of enquiry on 21 April 2022. Consequent changes to data input may mean that this data will change at some point in the future.*The system reports data as at the last day of the month rather than the first or any date in-between therefore the table is presented to the nearest reportable date to the questions asked.

Attorney General: Civil Servants

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney General, what the average number of full time equivalent civil service staff employed in the Attorney General‘s Office was in each financial year between 2010-11 and 2021-22.

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney General, what the average number of full time equivalent civil service staff employed by the (a) Government Legal Department and (b)Treasury Solicitor’s Office was in each financial year between 2010-11 and 2021-22.

Alex Chalk: The average number of whole-time equivalent persons employed during each financial year (for which data is available) in the Attorney General’s Office (AGO) and Government Legal Department (GLD) is as follows. Attorney General’s Office:Financial YearTotalPermanent StaffOthersMinisters2010-11(Data not held)*   2011-1240   2012-134440222013-144240 22014-154038 22015-164038 22016-174038 22017-184442 22018-194639522019-204947 22020-21504622Treasury Solicitor’s Office (from 2010-11 to 2014-15 inclusive) and Government Legal Department (from 2015-16 to 2020-21 inclusive): Financial YearTotalPermanent StaffOthers2010-11(Data not held)*  2011-12987  2012-131,0469271192013-141,2831,0901932014-151,6671,4262412015-161,8381,6631752016-171,8621,6572052017-182,1571,9052522018-192,3621,9983642019-202,5192,1963232020-212,6052,166439 It is important to note that several legal advisory units from departments across the civil service were incorporated into the Treasury Solicitor’s Department (TSol) and GLD account for the majority of staffing increases in the years preceding and succeeding the name change from TSol to GLD on 1 April 2015. * The earliest Annual Report available in which these figures are published, is for the 2012-13 financial year, which also included a total whole-time equivalent figure for TSol and AGO for 2011-12.

Fraud: Prosecutions

Steve Reed: To ask the Attorney General, what steps her Department is taking to increase prosecution rates for fraud.

Alex Chalk: Tackling Fraud is a top priority for this government and requires a sophisticated multi-agency approach, coordinating with domestic and international partners. As prosecuting agencies, both the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) and the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) play a vital part in that response. Last year the CPS published its first ever Economic Crime Strategy, which affirms its commitment to improve criminal justice outcomes in this area and support victims. In the year ending September 2021, the CPS prosecuted 7,609 defendants, in cases where Fraud and Forgery was recorded as the principal offence. The conviction rate was 84.9%. Taking into account judicial resolutions such as DPAs, the SFO’s successful judicial outcomes rate is 85% by case and 50% by defendant over the past four financial years [2018/19 – 2021/22].